– It is tough to be squeezed between decisions that you do not agree with, because football is unfortunately heading into a very dark place. At one point or another I feel that we have to speak up, she says to news. In March, Hegerberg stood up in a campaign for Amnesty, where she received a letter from Nepalese Kalpana. Kalpana’s husband, Sandip, was one of many who went to Qatar to work on last year’s soccer World Cup. It ended tragically and Sandip lost his life ahead of the championship. In the video, Hegerberg is clear that she is asking the International Football Association (Fifa) and Qatar to help with a replacement. – Qatar and Fifa cannot turn a blind eye to this suffering, said Hegerberg. In connection with a press conference ahead of the international match between Sweden and Norway, news asked why she wanted to use her voice in such a campaign. – It is a very big topic and a very big problem. I think that we are in a position today as footballers where we are between some choices that are made over which we have no influence. But then we are constantly the ones who have to speak out about the decisions that are made high up in both Fifa and Uefa, she says, and continues: – I think that there is an extremely large amount of responsibility on footballers. It’s tough, but it’s also a bit of reality. I know I have a position to voice my opinion on that. I believe that football is so much more than just a sport. I believe that we have an extreme power to have an impact on people’s lives. When you see what is happening in the business of football today… It is difficult to stand and accept it. Then is my opportunity to help with what I can help with, she says. Fifa and Uefa have not responded to news’s inquiry in connection with this matter. MET THE PRESS: Ada Hegerberg during Monday’s press conference. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB news commentator: – I think she has read the development depressingly well. Hegerberg receives support from news’s sports commentator, Jan Petter Saltvedt. – I think Ada Hegerberg very well expresses a feeling that many players feel more and more strongly, he says. – I think she has read the developments in world football depressingly well. I think she has realized exactly which way football is moving and how powerless everyone who loves the game, but also those who are part of the game, are. He singles out Fifa president Gianni Infantino and his close ties to countries in the Middle East in particular, but also the United States and other parts of Asia. COMMENTATOR: Jan Petter Saltvedt. Photo: Alem Zebic Saltvedt says he thinks it will get “worse”. – I think football worldwide is going to move further and further away from the illusion we still have that the fans matter. That the grassroots is where everything really starts and ends. There are no such considerations anymore, unfortunately, he believes. – Up to each individual what one does – The fact that Hegerberg says what she says, do you think it has any influence on the top in Fifa and Uefa? – I think the leaders shrug Ada Hegerberg’s shoulders slightly condescendingly. Although she is one of the few women who is really heard in football. Kudos to her for wanting to use her voice and put her energy into this. If more people had done it, then perhaps there would have been a reaction. Seen in isolation, you just smile at her, as they do at the vast majority of people, says Saltvedt and continues: – In need, there are maybe two or three male footballers who could create some kind of movement, but let’s look at the most attractive men in football in the world, then everyone plays for clubs that are involved in this game to some extent. You will never get this from a Messi, Mbappé or Haaland, unfortunately. Recently, Zlatan Ibrahimovic made headlines when he made unbridled boasts about the World Cup in Qatar. Ibrahimovic previously played several years for the French club Paris Saint-Germain, where Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé currently play. The team is owned by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Erling Braut Haaland’s Manchester City is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan from the United Arab Emirates. When asked if Hegerberg thinks there is a lack of high-profile male players who get involved, she replies: – It is up to each individual. I will not go into it any further. As soon as there are other points of view on it, there will be conflict. We are footballers and colleagues. We should always stand together. We want our sport to go in the right direction. It is up to each individual what they do with their platform, she says. While she herself received death threats after a message about Saudi Arabia’s World Cup start in 2018, she tells of very positive feedback after the Amnesty campaign in March. – I feel we are shedding light on a topic that affects many who follow football today. I think supporters and viewers have an enormous amount of power and power, really, in football, which we forget a bit. Sport is nothing without the supporters. It has been very positive and I notice that it is something that engages a lot of people
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– Football is heading into a very dark place – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
