Nikolato: Football in Latvia has yet to become a national passion
Latvia's national football team head coach Paolo Nikolato says he struggles to understand the country's reserved attitude toward football compared to Italy, while also pointing to a lack of player quality and squad depth as the team's core problem.
Paolo Nikolato, head coach of the Latvian national football team, has shared his first impressions of football culture in Latvia, admitting the country's relatively subdued attitude toward the sport initially puzzled him. The Italian, who took charge in February 2024 and had his contract extended in May this year through November 2027, contrasts this with his homeland, where football functions almost like a religion and becomes part of family identity.
Calling for genuine support
Nikolato stressed that the national team needs support regardless of results, not backing that appears only after success. He acknowledged that building a deeper passion for football in Latvia will take considerable time, particularly since the sport must compete with the already well-established popularity of ice hockey and basketball.
Lack of players in top leagues
The coach noted that Latvia may be the only European country without a single player in Europe's eight strongest leagues, framing this as a matter of player quality rather than coaching. He also pointed out that even leading Latvian clubs typically field only a handful of local players, making it difficult to compete against teams like Gibraltar or Albania.
Dual nationals as a solution
One way to deepen the squad is by recruiting foreign-raised players with Latvian roots. The training camp already includes England-raised Deniss Cirkins, Ireland-born Markuss Strods, and Norway-raised Alberts Aleksanjans. Nikolato noted that most European national teams now include dual nationals, calling it a trend impossible to avoid going forward.
Despite the challenges, Nikolato said he loves working in Latvia and turned down a more lucrative offer from another national team to extend his contract. Latvia opens its Nations League Group C campaign on Friday away to Armenia, hosts Cyprus the following Monday, and faces Montenegro on October 2.
