3 April 2009 - This "V" Is For "Vacation" (From The National Team)

On 3 April 2009, the Scottish FA announced that Scotland internationals and Rangers teammates Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor were banned from making any further national team appearances. The bans were the result of the duo's conduct over the previous week, which included a late-night drinking session after a Scotland loss to the Netherlands on 29 March and making "rude gestures" while on the bench for a match against Iceland on 1 April.

Ferguson had been a stalwart for Scotland, earning his 45th cap in the match against the Netherlands - 28 of those as captain. He was also a key player for Rangers, having played for them from 1994 to 2003, then returning at the start of the 2005-06 season when he was given the captain's armband by then-manager Alex McLeish.

McGregor, by contrast, had made only 6 appearances for Scotland before the ban. But he had played for Rangers since 2001, with a couple of loan spells in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, and had captained the club in the absence of Ferguson.

Although both players had started against the Netherlands, manager George Burley dropped them to the bench against Iceland because they had violated team rules by staying out staying past curfew. While that alone would likely not have been enough to cause their dismissal, they compounded the situation by making rude "v-signs" to the cameras during the Iceland match. Upon learning of the gestures, the SFA sent the pair home from training, then issued the ban on 3 April. Rangers also took action, suspending both players for two weeks and stripping the captaincy from Ferguson.

Following Burley's sacking as manager, the SFA informed new manager Craig Levein that he could reinstate the pair. Ferguson declined a call-up, indicating that he wished to focus on his club career, but McGregor returned in August 2010. 

15 September 1978 - Iceland's Greatest Goalscorer

On 15 September 1978, Eiður Guðjohnsen, Iceland's all-time leading scorer, was born in Reykjavík.

A striker/midfielder, he started his career in 1994 with Valur Reykjavík, but spent only one season there. Since then, he has played for twelve different clubs, including successful spells with PSV (1995-97), Chelsea (2000-06), and Barcelona (2006-09), collecting league titles with all three. The one with Barcelona was in the 2008-09 season, when he also won the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

He earned his first cap in 1996 and made history in April of that year when he came on as a substitute to replace his father, Arnór (though the two were never played together). He has since amassed a total of 74 caps, scoring a team-record 24 goals in the process.

Guðjohnsen currently plays for Brugge, whom he joined in January 2013.

24 April 1996 - I Think There's A Greek Play About This

On 24 April 1996, Iceland striker Arnór Guðjohnsen was replaced at the break by his son, Eiður. It was the closest the two ever got to playing together professionally.

The occasion was a friendly against Estonia in Tallinn. Arnór, then 34 years old, had played for Iceland since 1979 while playing his club ball for a number of teams including Anderlecht and Bordeaux. His 17-year old son, Eiður, who was then playing for PSV, was making his debut for the Iceland senior squad.

The two had hoped to play together, but Eggert Magnússon, the president of the Icelandic Football Federation wanted that historic moment to happen on home soil, so he instructed manager Logi Ólafsson not to field them at the same time against Estonia. Still, when Eiður replaced Arnór at the break, it was the first time in the history of the national team that a son came on as a substitute for his father. Iceland went on to win the match 0-3 with a hat-trick from Bjarki Gunnlaugsson (6', 20', 30').

Unfortunately for the Guðjohnsens, they never did get to play alongside each other. One month after the win over Estonia, Eiður broke his ankle while playing for the U18s and did not recover before the end of his father's international career.

3 April 2009 - This "V" Is For "Vacation" (From The National Team)

On 3 April 2009, the Scottish FA announced that Scotland internationals and Rangers teammates Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor were banned from making any further national team appearances. The bans were the result of the duo's conduct over the previous week, which included a late-night drinking session after a Scotland loss to the Netherlands on 29 March and making "rude gestures" while on the bench for a match against Iceland on 1 April.

Ferguson had been a stalwart for Scotland, earning his 45th cap in the match against the Netherlands - 28 of those as captain. He was also a key player for Rangers, having played for them from 1994 to 2003, then returning at the start of the 2005-06 season when he was given the captain's armband by then-manager Alex McLeish.

McGregor, by contrast, had made only 6 appearances for Scotland before the ban. But he had played for Rangers since 2001, with a couple of loan spells in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, and had captained the club in the absence of Ferguson.

Although both players had started against the Netherlands, manager George Burley dropped them to the bench against Iceland because they had violated team rules by staying out staying past curfew. While that alone would likely not have been enough to cause their dismissal, they compounded the situation by making rude "v-signs" to the cameras during the Iceland match. Upon learning of the gestures, the SFA sent the pair home from training, then issued the ban on 3 April. Rangers also took action, suspending both players for two weeks and stripping the captaincy from Ferguson.

It may not be the end of the road for the pair, however. New Scotland manager Craig Levein has expressed his desire to select both Ferguson and McGregor, though he has not yet done so.

15 June 1924 - They Come From The Land Of The Ice And Snow

On 15 June 1924, Sweden came from behind to win the inaugural match of the Nordic Football Championship, defeating Denmark 3-2 at the Idrætsparken in Copenhagen before a crowd of 25,000.

That first tournament was played over the course of five years, with each of the three participating countries - Sweden, Denmark, and Norway - playing each other team twice each year. Finland joined in 1929 at the start of the second tournament and both Iceland and the Faroe Islands joined in 2000.

In that opening match, Denmark took a 2-0 lead early in the second half with goals from Alf Olsen (2') and Ernst Nilsson (47'), before Sweden surged back. Striker Per Kaufeldt started the rally with a goal in the 56th minute and then 19-year-old Sven Rydell equalized in the 65th minute. Rydell completed his brace with the game winner in the 74th minute.

When the tournament ended in 1928, Rydell was the leading goal scorer with 15 (12 of which came in matches against Norway, including two hat-tricks and one match in which he scored four). Denmark claimed the first title, however, finishing with 7 wins, 2 draws, and only 1 loss to top the table with 16 points, three more than second-place finisher Sweden. Norway was last with a single point.