Contact: Bernharð Antoniussen
Location: Iceland
Email: SAFCIceland@hotmail.com
Learn more about Bernharð with the Q&A section below
Q: What inspired you to supporter Sunderland AFC?
A: I can’t say exactly because I have no recollections of myself other than being a Sunderland supporter. I have some newspaper cuttings about Sunderland from the early 1980’s (I was born in 1972) and I also had a team picture of Sunderland from the late 1970’s and I guess I could have started supporting Sunderland because of the picture. Maybe it was the name, maybe the shirts, I don’t know.
Q: Have you watched Sunderland ‘til I die on Netflix and what did you think of it?
A: Yes, I did watch it and thought it was excellent, although it was painful too at the same time. It was interesting to see what happened behind the scenes, but it was so difficult to relive this horrible season. I am of course in it, as there is a screen shot of me in the crowd at the beginning of episode 5.
Q: Have you traveled to any home and away games this season?
A: The Saturday matches are on at 3 pm from November to March, and at 2 pm when the summer time comes into effect. I did watch the matches at pubs with a couple of other Sunderland supporters in the late 1990’s but not anymore, unfortunately as it was always great fun.
Q: What was the first Sunderland match you ever watched and/or attended? Can you remember the score?
A: The first match I remember seeing on TV (in Iceland we saw week-old match highlights at that time) was the 3-3 draw with Ipswich in the first match of the 1981-1982 season, the first match I saw live on TV was the Milk Cup Final loss against Norwich in 1985, and the first match I saw at Roker Park was the 3-2 win against Tranmere in 1994. It was a great game and I will never forget the feeling when Phil Gray scored inside the first minute. Sunderland were 3-0 up after about 20 minutes, the second half was difficult but we hung on.
Q: How long have you been supporting Sunderland for?
A: I would say I have been a supporter since 1980, so we are talking about almost 40 years.
Q: Roughly, how many Sunderland fans are there in Iceland that you know of?
A: There are three I know personally, but I know there are more supporters around.
Q: What are your plans for the Iceland branch?
A: I want to get in touch with other Sunderland supporters and build up a community where the supporters can interact. It would be great to see games together and hopefully go on trips to Sunderland to watch games.