Fans of Tottenham’s Europa League opponents have been trading buckets of fish and reindeer meat for a ticket at Thursday’s game.
Around 50,000 wannabe Bodo/Glimt supporters have been competing for 480 general sale tickets available at the club’s 8,270-capacity ground.
The Norwegian champions are looking to overturn a 3-1 deficit from the first leg and reach their first European final.
Torbjorn Eide, a production boss at a fish farm in Torsken, told Norway’s state broadcaster NRK that he offered five kilograms of semi-fried boknafisk for a ticket.
The haul of fish, worth around £181, managed to tempt a fellow fan into giving up their seat.
‘We produce Norway’s best bokna fish, and it may not be possible to get it in Bodo city (which is eight hours away). So I thought maybe someone would like it, Eide said.
Bodo/Glimt fans have traded buckets of fish and reindeer meat for tickets for Thursday
Torbjorn Eide (left) offered five kilos of fish, while Nils Erik Oskal (right) saw someone snap up his reindeer meat quickly
Tottenham will defend their 3-1 advantage in the Arctic Circle as they look to reach the Europa League final
‘You know, those of us who work in fishing are often creative.
‘I didn’t really think it would work, but then a guy showed up who wanted to try boknafisk.’
Boknafish, which is typically cod, is partially dried in the cold outdoors and is a traditional dish in northern Norway.
Oystein Aanes, who bought the fish, told NRK: ‘It was just a funny thing. The ticket was actually for my brother, who was supposed to travel from Oslo, but he didn’t make it anyway.
‘I’ve never bought bokna fish before, I don’t even know how to prepare it.
‘The fish is for my mother, so she can take care of it.’
Bodo/Glimt are already the first Norwegian side to reach the semi-finals of a European competition. Out of Scandinavia as a whole, only Malmo and Gothenberg, both from Sweden, have reached a final.
Based in the Arctic Circle, they have already beaten clubs such as Lazio, Olympiacos, Twente, Besiktas and Red Star this season.
Another fan, Nils Erik Oskal, was inspired by the fish trade so thought he would try his luck with reindder meat. Five kilograms, to be precise.
‘I was number 40,000 in the queue or something. I had some extra meat to spare,’ he told NRK.
‘I thought it must be possible to do it with reindeer meat. Someone was munching on it. It didn’t take long.
‘It wasn’t a cheap ticket considering what reindeer meat usually costs. But it’s really the same thing, I get to experience something great.’
