– It is clear that we do not want such things to be leaked. It is important that private messages between us are kept in the group. I understand very well that it is also interesting externally, but it is something we have to keep private. I hope it will be the last time. National team player Morten Thorsby tells news that private text messages from the Norwegian national team environment have ended up in the public domain. NEW BOOK: The battle for the national team is on the shelves these days. Photo: Facsimile It is in the new book “The battle for the national team”, written by Magnus Braaten and Arilas Berg Ould-Saada, that a whole series of private Whatsapp messages from the national team’s internal chats are published. The book is about the eight dramatic days in November 2020 when corona virus hit the Norwegian men’s national football team, and several of the messages show the dissatisfaction that prevailed in the Norwegian playing squad at the time. The players had to wash dishes National team player Kristian Thorstvedt is critical of the leaks. He reveals that the player group recently had a discussion about the topic. – It has been taken internally, says Thorstvedt to news. BECOME A THEME: Kristian Thorstvedt says that the national team players have reacted to the leaks. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB Teammate Jørgen Strand Larsen is also listed. He says that they would like to have been without the leaks. – No matter what it is about, whether it is good or bad, nothing should come out of a group. We have put that to rest now. We have been through that and put it to rest, and then we look ahead. Everyone can make mistakes, but such things should be within the group, says Strand Larsen to news. – Not lucky at all, news’s football expert Kristoffer Løkberg believes the leaks could have a negative effect on the harmony in Norway’s national team squad. – It is not lucky at all. When it is possible for journalists to actually get hold of screenshots of what is being said in an internal WhatsApp group, one might ask “how tight and good is our environment? How strong a unity do we really have?”, asks Løkberg rhetorically. CRITICAL: Morten Thorsby does not like what is revealed in the new book about the so-called emergency national team. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB It is not just a few messages that have ended up in the public’s hands, but a long series of extracts from internal “chat groups”. Here are three examples: “Damn it feels good to be a gangster” When someone in the national team environment had received signals that the NFF’s top management was under pressure from the authorities to give the thumbs down to the national team playing the two away international matches in the National League at the time, decided they set out to leave as quickly as possible. Then NFF’s national team coordinator Are Hokstad posted this message in the chat, according to the book: “Throw around. The bus goes as fast as possible. The sooner the better. Drive!!” The message from Hokstad leads to a series of more or less humorous responses from several of the squad’s star players. “Martin Ødegaard sends a clip of The Office character Dwight Schrute jumping and punching the air with excitement. Erling Braut Haaland sends a clip of the action movie character Kabir getting ready to go to war in the movie “War”. “RUN!!”, says the clip sent by Markus Henriksen, of a screaming Will Smith. Ødegaard adds a jubilant baby. “Damn it feels good to be a gangster”, reads the text on the film clip sent from Sander Berge, the book says. THE AUTHORS: Magnus Braaten (th) and Arilas Ould-Saada are behind the book in question. Photo: Agnete Brun “Seven emojis of a Santa Claus” When it became more and more clear that the national team was not allowed to travel to the away games, the atmosphere in the WhatsApp chat became bad: “Haaland breaks into the chat. He shares a screenshot of Dagbladet’s front page. “JUST NOW: Don’t know if the players will be allowed to travel”, it says next to a photo of Prime Minister Erna Solberg. Ødegaard responds immediately. His message contains only seven Santa Claus emojis.” Ironic Ødegaard The players’ dissatisfaction with the Norwegian health authorities eventually became clearly visible in the chat – and is given a lot of space in the book. “Martin Ødegaard is in the ironic corner. He shares a picture of news’s front page and the headline “Guldvog will stop all international football”. Ødegaard has circled the headline and the image of Guldvog in red. “Inertier here and”, writes Ødegaard and adds a thumbs up. Jens Petter Hauge replies with two laughing emojis.” SKEPTICAL: news expert Kristoffer Løkberg fears the leaks will affect the cohesion of the Norwegian playing squad. – Would have been really annoyed Kristoffer Løkberg recognizes that there are often humorous things that are reported in such chats, and that there are many people who quickly go a little over the line to have a bit of fun. – But as long as it is kept inside, it only strengthens the unity and camaraderie, he believes. – How would you personally have reacted if someone had leaked internal Viking chats? – Then I would have been really annoyed. – Do you think this is something Ståle Solbakken should address? – I think it is more up to the player group. The leaders in the group should perhaps deal with it internally. What has happened is one thing, but to sit down with the player group that is there now and say that “that’s not going to happen, it’s the last time that things we discuss internally will come out”. – Disappointing None of the players news spoke to knows who leaked the messages. But Morten Thorsby is crystal clear that it must never happen again. – It was disappointing, but we are moving on. We have talked about it in the group and hope that it will not happen again. We have had an internal exchange about it, that it is something we do not want to happen again, he says. – Exchange on Whatsapp? – Exchange on Whatsapp. Haha! Published 08.10.2024, at 13.38 Updated 08.10.2024, at 13.41
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The Norwegian stars’ private messages were leaked – the players react strongly – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
