Whatever, Noel! Nukannguaq Zeeb is Greenland's football Rock 'n' Roll Star

BBC News

6 days ago

Noel Gallagher, Ed Sheeran, Elton John and Snoop Dogg - they all talk a great game of football, but can they really kick it?Are they scoring winning penalties to win a national championship? Of course not, only in their dreams and lyrics.Step aside rock gods... and meet Nukannguaq Zeeb.The 43-year old singer-songwriter leads one of Greenland's most popular bands, Tulleriit, where he blends lyrics of peace and positivity with luxurious soundscapes cultivated from the unique environment he grew up in.'Sumiuuguit apeqqutaanngilaq assigiippugummi qungujukkuit'.'It doesn't matter where you are from, we all smile in the same language'.And yes, Zeeb did score the final, crucial spot-kick for his team G-44 to win the Greenlandic Football Championship in 2011. And he's still playing in the tournament in 2025.On the eve of the championship, which dates back to 1954, Zeeb tells me how tough it can be to become title winners on the largest island on earth, with terrain hardly suited to the beautiful game."This year I am the player-coach for G-44. We are based in Qeqertarsuaq (575 miles north of the capital, Nuuk) and we have a 'new' team, full of young players, including my 16-year-old son. I'm satisfied with our level, I think you will see us progress to the semi-finals and then we'll see how it goes."We are from a small town, around 850 people, so it's not always easy to build a good team. In the championship you may need up to 20 players in a squad, as we have matches almost every day for a week. We need really good substitutes if we have injuries or our starting players are tired."
'We are on the right path, despite the set-backs'
The Greenlandic Football Championship is a unique tournament. This year 10 teams will gather in Nuuk, to first play a group stage, then knockouts. It can only be held in a week-long window in high summer, because of the island's difficult weather conditions and arduous travel arrangements.The Nuuk Stadium will host 20 games over a six-day period, with just one rest day, as long standing rivalries are renewed. Kissaviarsuk-33, duly named after being formed in 1933, are Greenland's oldest active club. They last won the national title in 2003.Most football in Greenland takes place indoors, as futsal, and the national futsal side have a growing global reputation, travelling to Brazil earlier this year for a mini-tournament. The women's futsal team were in Poland for a similar adventure last year.The picture for the 11-a-side game is more challenging. Last month Greenland were rejected for membership of Concacaf, which could have allowed them to enter Fifa World Cup qualifying. The fight for recognition goes on.Kenneth Kleist, president of the Greenlandic Football Association (KAK) feels they are on the right path, despite the recent set-back."We are working on a few options, and we hope there will be news concerning that development in the autumn. In October, we will go to Vienna, and play the national amateur teams from Austria and Slovenia," he said."We will play international matches in the Fifa windows, so it's looking promising for our A team and youth level teams in the year ahead. In June 2026 we are planning to host the first official match in the Arctic region.""It's so bad we are being rejected," says Zeeb. "I am also an assistant coach for the national team, and we hope so much for other options to play in World Cup qualifying. As soon as possible."For now, he'll concentrate on the domestic scene, and earning G-44 a first title since he was that penalty hero 14 years ago. Since then, Nuuk powerhouses B-67 have won eight of the 11 championships, with Nagdlunguaq-48 (twice) and Inuit Timersoqatigiiffiat-79 taking the other crowns."Growing up, I played football with my brothers almost every day," Zeeb says. "I first played in the national championship in 1999, as a teenager. My father was the coach."The standards in Greenlandic football really changed when we got artificial pitches to play on, rather than gravel. The level of skill and tactics just get better and better."
'Be careful with life, and be grateful'
Kleist, when asked for his favourite memory of the championship, has no hesitation in picking out events from 2022."The two biggest teams in Greenlandic club football historically, N-48 from Ilulissat and B-67 met in the final."B-67 was leading 1-0 until stoppage time, then N-48 levelled in the final minute."In extra time B-67 took the lead again, but N-48 scored in the 122nd minute - and the match went to penalties."The dramatic shoot-out in front of a record crowd in Ilulissat ended 6-5 to N-48, and the home team's fans invaded the pitch."Aqi Ludvigsen, KAK General Secretary, when asked what makes the championship in Greenland so special, reveals an answer that could make the basis for a Tulleriit song."Our football pride refers to the feeling of love, loyalty, and respect that our nation have toward to our sport," he tells me."It's often associated with a sense of belonging, identity, and shared history or culture. People may express national pride through symbols like flags, anthems, national holidays or unity like coming together during moments of triumph or failure."Much like Oasis, Tulleriit is a family affair, with the three Zeeb brothers having released three albums, and playing live shows."The message in my songs is about never giving up, being careful with life, and being grateful," Zeeb says. "To be positive even when some days are not easy.""When I was younger I listened to Oasis, now I like many of Ed Sheeran's songs, plus Coldplay and Pink."Sheeran may have recently played out a sold-out show at Portman Road, home of his beloved Ipswich Town, and he may have a squad number, but when it comes to actually putting the ball in the net for real, under pressure, Greenland's music maestro is the one with ice in his veins.BBC Sport will be in Nuuk covering the Greenlandic Football Championship for the first time. A documentary following events will be released later in the year.