In the recent documentary from Fotball. TV – with the dig journalist Anders Selliaas at the head – you can see several pictures from an internal group chat that is supposed to have taken place in 2018. It is said to have happened through the messaging service WhatsApp, and in those message exchanges WC summits and communication advisors, among other things, are said to have worked actively with countering negative publicity before the Qatar World Cup in 2022. In the group, among other things, one of the messages reads like this, from what will be the general secretary of the organizing committee, Hassan Al Thawadi: “People, we need positive stories more than anything else”. news has been in contact with the event committee, also called the Supreme Committee in Qatar, and they do not reject the authenticity of the group conversation. – We really thought that our voice was not heard in the discussions about the WC in Qatar. We assessed it as such that the “anti-Qatar narrative” in Norway led to an unbalanced conversation across the country, and that this would lead to pressure on the Norwegian Football Association, says the spokesperson to news. Furthermore, he says that it is not surprising, as hosts of the 2022 WC, that they work constantly to ensure that they receive positive publicity. – We doubt that there is any company in the world that does not do exactly the same thing, the spokesperson continues. You can read the entire response to the event committee in a fact box further down in the case. ENCOURAGEMENT: WC manager Al Thawadi is said to have given his colleagues a clear message back in 2018. Photo: “Kampen om sannhenten” The committee has for several years had to respond to criticism in connection with the championship, which, among other things, deals with corruption, poor working conditions for migrant workers and deaths linked to WC work. Filter news reported the case first. – Are under pressure In the chat, which has been named “Crisis Comms”, i.e. “crisis communication”, it is said that they must rather focus on more positive topics towards the world championship. In the messages, the user, who had the name of the WC boss, highlighted voluntary initiatives, the welfare and the environment of the workers – among things that should be put under scrutiny. In October 2019, two Norwegian names were also mentioned in the chat. It was Anders Selliaas and an “Odegaard”. There are many indications that it is about the journalist of the digging magazine Josimar, Pål Ødegaard. “The NFF is always under pressure from the Josimar people. Seliaas, Odegard and those with any small matter connected to Qatar”, wrote one person in the chat. WE WERE MENTIONED: Two Norwegian journalists, who have written critical journalism about the championship in Qatar, were mentioned in a conversation back in 2019. Photo: “Kampen om sannheten” The background for the conversation was an interview with former football president Terje Svendsen published on Selliaas’ website Sports policy .no in 2019. Svendsen said at the time that Norway’s men’s national team would not participate in a joint Nordic tournament in Qatar, together with, among others, Finland and Sweden. The Norwegian football president based this on “sporting considerations because most A-team players cannot be released”. – It is a completely innocent matter where they say they are not going to the training camp, Selliaas told news. GRAVE: Andreas Selliaas has worked with journalism in connection with the Qatar WC for several years. Photo: news – The point of showing it here (with the documentary) is that they show that they are following along, and that they have a preparedness for what to do and say when they face criticism, he says. – How did they get hold of these internal conversations? – I don’t want to say who and how I got hold of the messages, just that I got it from good sources, says Selliaas. – We must get the union over In the interview, Svendsen also said that he was against a boycott of Qatar because he believed that participation would put the spotlight on what is happening in the country to a greater extent. But he also clearly expressed concern for the migrant workers in the country. – I fear what will happen after the World Cup, and when all the facilities have been built. What happens to the reforms, then? Is it back to the Kafala system again, asked the former president. These statements were hotly debated, if we are to believe the “Crisis Comms” chat. Several expressed concern about Norway’s eventual absence. A user, who according to Uefa works as an adviser in the event committee, describes the situation as embarrassing and that Svendsen is “under great pressure from the press (Norway)”. “We must get the union over ASAP (as soon as possible, journ.mrk.), he wrote. CONCERN: Here, parts of the committee discuss the criticism from journalists. Photo: “The battle for the truth” The counselor inquired with the rest of the group whether the Nordic confederations had heard about all the progress they had made. “If not, perhaps we can ask about a meeting with them or at least open up the dialogue”, he presented. The Swedish journalist and football commentator Johanna Frändén was also discussed in the group. Frändén had criticized the championship in a comment in 2019. Here you can read the entire response from the organizing committee in Qatar: This is what the organizing committee says to news A spokesperson for Qatar’s organizing committee said the following to news: – The idea behind these messages is clear. We really thought that our voice was not heard in the talks about the World Cup in Qatar. We assessed it as such that the anti-Qatar narrative in Norway led to an unbalanced conversation across the country, and that this would lead to pressure on the Norwegian Football Association. We would like the union to know the details of our work and the specific steps we have taken with regard to work, and this is completely normal practice and nothing different from what any company would do under the same circumstances. – It is a deliberate strategy to inform the confederation about the work we do. At this time, Norway had good opportunities to qualify, and we wanted to make sure that the NFF received updates about the work we are doing. This does not mean “closing down” or “limiting a free and independent press”. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Having said that: We also have the right to share our side of the story and the work we do with relevant parties (including the NFF). – Like any international company or host of a large tournament or event, we are dedicated to promoting the good work being done and defending our reputation. We are not afraid of criticism. We are actually in constant dialogue with our critics, and we have been for twelve years. Our frequent and regular dialogue with Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International is proof of that. But we believe that when a one-sided perspective and view of this tournament is presented, without any clear counterargument or attempt to balance or nuance, we see it as normal practice to defend our position, promote the work we do and inform other parties, in in this case NFF. The documentary “Kampen om sannhenten” is available on Fotball. TV and on RiksTV/Strim.
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Hevdar’s internal group chat revealed WC strategy – Norwegian journalists discussed – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
