The women’s national team faces Albania in two playoff games for the EC. The first match will be played away on 25 October with the return at Ullevaal Stadium on 29 October. Between the two matches, and the day before the decisive match in Oslo, the prestigious Ballon d’Or award, also known as the Ballon d’Or, is held in Paris. – It is very complicated that a Ballon d’Or gala is held the day before an international match, says Ada Hegerberg to news. CRITICAL: Ada Hegerberg is unimpressed by the timing of the Ballon d’Or. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB – Forced to do something about it The 29-year-old, who is on his way back from injury, is nominated together with Caroline Graham Hansen. The Lyon star is critical of the prize being awarded a day before Norway’s fateful match. – In the phase I’m in now, I can’t afford to go to a gala the day before an important match. We have a very important qualifier and so it’s a real shame that they put it on the day they put it. It is something they have to do something about if they want to have the best female players available, Hegerberg believes. – Do you see that it is difficult to find these gaps, and that it is perhaps still on men’s terms? – I think it goes without saying, she answers briefly. Hegerberg is supported by Guro Reiten. – The timing is really bad. I wish it had been added to another date, where it was possible for everyone who had been nominated to be present, says Reiten to news. It is not only Norway that is put in a difficult situation. Among other things, Germany plays against Australia the day before the award ceremony. HERJET: Caroline Graham Hansen has played big for Barcelona. Photo: Joan Monfort / AP The national team manager: – Madness According to news’s sources, Barcelona and the Norwegian Football Association (NFF) have jointly fixed a private plane to transport Caroline Graham Hansen to the Golden Ball award ceremony. National team manager Gemma Grainger confirms that Hansen will be selected, regardless of Norway’s starting point after the first match against Albania. – My message to the players is that I always support their decision. The difficult thing is the timing of the award. The players shouldn’t have to make that decision. It shouldn’t be something that players are expected to do. It disappoints me, says Grainger. – I have spoken to both (Hegerberg and Graham Hansen, journ.anm.), and I fully support them both. It is an honor and a privilege. I was invited but won’t be there. The timing is crazy, in my opinion, but I won’t focus on that. I want to focus on the positives around it, says the national team manager. Graham Hansen was not available to the press on Tuesday. This is how the organizer responds The award ceremony is organized by France Football, in collaboration with Uefa. news has contacted the organizer for a response to the criticism, but has not yet received a response. In a statement to The Guardian, it is noted that the date for the award ceremony was chosen because they wanted to wait until after the 23/24 season and the Olympics had ended, while the jury needed time and that they wanted to avoid collisions with national leagues in Europe and club matches. – On the basis of the given criteria, 28 October was the only relevant date before mid-December, which we believe would have been too late, writes the organizer. news expert Carl-Erik Torp believes that it is obvious that arrangements have been made for this to fit the men’s calendar, where both Erling Braut Haaland and Martin Ødegaard are nominated. CLEAR SPEECH: Carl-Erik Torp is not impressed by the timing. Photo: Birk Pessl-Kleiven / news – If it had been the other way around, there would have been a complete outcry. Women’s football will be de-prioritised. It must be possible to find a time that suits both. At the same time, news’s football expert believes that it is not a good alternative to split the awards because it creates more noise to have them together. He interprets it as a signal that Caroline Graham Hansen is in good shape for the award ceremony since she is going there the evening before the match against Albania. – Fortunately for Norway, it is an international match that you have to have good control over, but you never know and you want players who go to a gala. Cheers to national team friend Hegerberg who won the award when it was handed out on the women’s side for the first time in 2018. She seems to have little faith that she herself will win the award this year. Instead, the Lyon pro believes there will be a winner from rivals Barcelona. – I think it is natural that it is at least one Barcelona player who walks away with the victory, especially after Champions League gold. Caroline has had a fantastic season, so it is at least natural that it is a player from Barca who is at the top and takes it, Hegerberg believes. – It is great to have two Norwegians in a Golden Ball award. I will always be rooting for Caroline. It’s an incredibly great feeling and it requires an incredible amount, so we’ll see, says Hegerberg. The combined winner of Norway and Albania advances and meets the winner of Croatia and Northern Ireland in the final round. The doubleheader has match dates of 27 November and 3 December. Published 22.10.2024, at 18.16 Updated 22.10.2024, at 19.07
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