– In the NFF, we do not have confidence that Infantino is the right leader to take us forward. Unfortunately, none of the confederations has fielded a counter-candidate by the deadline, so Infantino is unfortunately currently the only candidate, says Lise Klaveness to news. In 2016, when Fifa was to elect a new football president, the NFF said it would support the candidacy of Infantino. At the time, Yngve Hallén was football president in Norway. Klaveness speaks following a powerful press conference from the Danish association, where the country’s football president Jesper Møller thundered against the way Fifa has handled their desire to use the “One Love” armband. – We stand behind what the Danes say and describe. Fifa has proceeded in a way that escalates the conflict, says Klaveness. news has asked Fifa for a comment on the performances from the Norwegian and Danish teams, but has not yet received a reply. On March 16, there is a Fifa congress in Rwanda, where the association will elect a new president. Infantino is currently the only candidate, and the deadline for nominating other candidates has expired. The Green Party told news that they are encouraging Klaveness to stand for election. – Her attempt to get human rights and dignity back in sport is admirable, and she may be what we need to contribute to football globally becoming a positive force that promotes human rights, diversity and good values, says acting party leader in MDG, Arild Hermstad, to news. Thundered: – Completely unacceptable The Swedish football president, Karl-Erik Nilsson, says later on Wednesday afternoon that at the moment they will not support Infantino. – Given what has happened in the last few days, we certainly could not have done it with a vote today, says Nilsson to TT. Denmark’s football president is shaken by Fifa’s actions in recent days. – What we are experiencing is completely unacceptable. It is one thing what we experience at press conferences and so on, but that our players are put in such a situation where they are threatened with sporting sanctions, that is very reprehensible, says Møller at the press conference half an hour outside the center of Doha on Wednesday. Also present were DBU director Jakob Jensen and football director Peter Møller. There, Jesper Møller said that they do not want Infantino to continue as president. REACTS: DBU director Jakob Jensen. Photo: Egil Sande / news – There is only one candidate, and we have to see if there is a new candidate. There is still a little more time. But Denmark is not going to support the current president, he says. Møller points out that there are 211 countries in Fifa, but even if Denmark does not support Infantino, he does not have a realistic hope that they will get a new president in any time soon. – I understand that the current president has declarations of support from 207 countries. I can say that Denmark is not among the 207 countries that have signed a declaration of support. We don’t want to do that either, he says. As one of several nations, Denmark chose to drop the Onelove captain’s armband after threats from Fifa about sporting consequences. When news asked if Denmark considered using the captain’s armband despite sanctions, Jakob Jensen replied: – Fifa had a meeting with England, where Fifa indicated strict sanctions. We have tried to stand on two legs, both political dialogue and winning football matches. We want to win football matches. We will not put our captain, who is a wonderful person and player … You had the opportunity to speak to him after yesterday’s game, and hear his own opinions on this. We will not tell our captain that he might be taken off the field. He could get yellow, red and not play the WC. It was not in our minds. We want to change things in a different way than Fifa refusing our players to be on the pitch, replies Jensen. CAN BE PUNISHED: The Danish team and their captain chose not to wear the rainbow colored armband in the match against Tunisia. Photo: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / AFP In new meetings The threats from Fifa came during an emergency meeting on November 21, where Fifa said that the minimum punishment for wearing the armband would be a yellow card. Fifa is said to have referred to Article 4 of their regulations which states that players who use equipment that is not allowed on the pitch can be punished. On Wednesday, the Danish Football Association (DBU) called an extra press conference with the management on the occasion of the case. And it is clear that the Danes are not taking the situation lightly. Now Denmark announces that they, together with the other nations, intend to take the matter to a legal level. – After the meeting with the other nations today, we have decided that we will react together with them. We are all puzzled that we are not allowed to wear the armband. It has not been a problem in other tournaments, says football president Jesper Møller. – The OneLove campaign underpins universal values that FIFA has in its own statutes and on which Infantino was elected. The campaign has been going on for many months, also for Norway and other countries that are not in the World Cup, and we have communicated this to FIFA just as many months ago. FIFA has not communicated any opposition until 24 hours before the opening match and then with uncompromising behavior and threats of sporting sanctions. FIFA’s decision and not least the manner in which the decision is made is disturbing. All the countries participating in the campaign are frustrated, including Norway, even though we are not participating in the WC, says Klaveness. The seven countries will meet again tomorrow to discuss the way forward. At a press conference, the Danes said that they have also asked Fifa and Qatar to stop stopping spectators wearing clothes in the colors of the rainbow. – Considering all the criticism Fifa is getting now. What do you think about the future of top international football and what needs to be done to restore public confidence in Fifa? – I have to think about that question before I answer it. It won’t be today. Now we have to focus on what is happening right now, and then we will discuss it later, and evaluate what has happened. I will discuss it with my Nordic colleagues, too, says Jesper Møller to news. CRITICAL: Jesper Møller lashed out at Fifa. Photo: Egil Sande / news Møtte Infantino After Tuesday’s Denmark match, the Danish football president was pictured together with Fifa president Gianni Infantino. He does not want to reveal what was said, but states that he gave Infantino a clear message: – I shared my opinion with the Fifa president yesterday. We had an exchange of views when he was present at the match. Let me put it this way: We do not agree, says Møller. The Danish national team’s captain, Simon Kjær, says that the threats from Fifa have been a topic of conversation in the squad, but that they try to focus mostly on the sporting side. – You don’t know if it affects, but it doesn’t take up much space in the squad. Of course you think about it, but when I went out on the pitch yesterday I didn’t think about it at all, says Kjær. Preget Hjulmand To news, Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand does not hide that the decision to drop the Onelove captain’s armband is difficult to live with. – In Denmark, we have a slogan called “a part of something bigger”. And right now I’m not sure I’m part of something I like, he told news after the 0-0 draw against Tunisia on Tuesday. Hjulmand made no secret of the fact that he is deeply affected by what has happened. – It worries me as a person that I walk around here. I can say that I go around myself, and I find it difficult to find myself in this. I only speak for myself when I say that I, as a person and as a human being, am having a hard time right now, said the Denmark boss at Tuesday’s press conference. At the press conference, the Danish football leaders were asked why the Danish players did not choose to wear armbands and rather just take the penalty. – It makes me sad that people think that the players are spoiled. It affects me as a person. I have respect for other people. We could certainly do things differently, but I don’t have the energy to think about anything but the France match now, says Jesper Møller. Legal action On Tuesday it emerged that Germany, who also dropped the Onelove captain’s armband they had planned to use, will take legal action against Fifa after the rainbow denial. The German Football Association has decided to take Fifa to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), confirms a spokesperson for the German association. – Fifa has stopped us from showing a symbol of diversity and human rights. They have done it at the same time as threatening us with sporting sanctions, without specifying them, says Steffen Simon in the German Football Association. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) informs news that they have not yet received an appeal from the German federation. At the same time, they confirm that they have a so-called Ad hoc department for the World Cup, which means that they must process such an appeal within 48 hours after it has been received. According to Møller, Germany cannot go directly to CAS. They must first receive a punishment from Fifa. – Says we don’t have a backbone The Onelove situation has been the big talking point in the WC so far. Several players react to being labeled as cowards who do not take the punishment that Fifa had to threaten – I play in a position where a yellow card is not useful. I became a soccer player and I want to play this kind of tournament. There are people who say we don’t have a backbone, but that’s not how it works, said Virgil van Dijk at the Dutch press conference. – Anyone who expects us footballers to deprioritize us as athletes and give up our sports dreams, which we have worked for all our lives, in order to position ourselves even more politically, will be disappointed, writes the German star Thomas Müller on Instagram.
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