Rosenborg coach Kjetil Rekdal and VIF player Stefan Strandberg agree on one thing. They will watch the WC in Qatar, both for inspiration, learning and the joy of seeing the world’s best footballers in action. Arsenal player Frida Maanum and Ole Kristian Sandvik, spokesman for the Norwegian Supporters’ Alliance, will not. They do not support the values of the host nation, and will therefore distance themselves. – I do not wish to be involved in legitimizing a corrupt championship that has taken the lives of thousands of workers. The championship is directly to blame for the fact that slaves from several countries have died. By not watching the World Cup, I use the consumer power I have, says Sandvik to news. This is also the opinion of several of the participants in the survey carried out by the company InFact on behalf of news. Over half of Norway does not want to see the WC InFact conducted a telephone survey of 1,004 people over the age of 18, where they asked themselves a number of questions related to the championship, which starts on 20 November. InFact makes automatic phone calls. The margin of error is a maximum of three percent, according to InFact. – But luckily the number is much more roughly divided than that, so the margin of error has nothing to say about the conclusions we draw, head of department Knut Weberg told news, which is behind the investigation. To the question “Are you going to watch the football World Cup in November/December” just over half of the participants answer “no”. Just over half answer that they are not interested as the main reason why they will not watch the World Cup, while almost four out of ten believe that the championship breaks with their values. – It appears as a high number. There is considerable opposition to the WC precisely because it is being held in Qatar, concludes Weberg. Nor would it help if Norway qualified for the WC. Six out of ten still say no that they would watch. Different opinions news has asked several football players, coaches and professionals if they want to watch the World Cup in Qatar, and why they make the choice they do. This is how they approach it: Frida Maanum, soccer player for Norway and Arsenal Photo: Rodrigo Freitas / NTB – Are you going to watch the World Cup? – I don’t think I’ll get to see it. There are values in the championship that I do not stand for, and therefore I choose to do what I do, says Maanum. – How has it been to make that choice? – It is not something that is well thought out, it is a fairly spontaneous choice based on the values they stand for. There is a lot in that championship that is very wrong, and that is why I make that choice. Stefan Strandberg, national team player and VIF player Photo: VEGARD GRØTT / BILDBYRÅN – Do you want to watch the WC in Qatar? – Yes. – Why? – Because they are the best football nations and players in the world. It is important for us to see what the best are doing and learn from them, and at the same time pick up trends that are coming in football. It is naive to think that what we do is better than everyone else. We are forced to follow in order to learn and to get better, says Strandberg. Kjetil Rekdal, Rosenborg coach Photo: Ole Martin Wold / NTB – Are you going to watch the football World Cup? – I’m going to watch the World Cup in Qatar, and the reason I’m doing it is because I’m interested in football and want to update myself and get a professional refresher, says Rekdal. Nils Henrik Smith, author and Josimar writer Photo: Ina Strøm / news – Are you going to watch the WC in Qatar? – I will not be watching the WC in Qatar. There are two reasons for that, says Smith. The first reason is personal. – I have seen every World Cup since 1986, but I cannot defend following along this year when I know the human suffering that underlies the championship. The World Cup has been organized under authoritarian regimes before, with Argentina in 1978 and Russia in 2018 as the most serious examples, but never before have abuses and human rights violations been so directly linked to the World Cup event itself as is the case this year. – Thousands of deaths. Cynical and deliberate exploitation of foreign workers from some of the poorest countries in the world. Hair-raisingly undignified and dangerous working and housing conditions. Chronic underpayment. Slavery-like labor contracts. Sexual exploitation. Systemic racism. Qatar has, on paper, introduced some reforms since they were awarded the WC in 2010, but we know that they have only been complied with to a very varying degree. Fifa, for its part, has not lifted a finger to prevent the abuse, and despite the gigantic income the World Cup will generate for the organization, they have not even been willing to introduce a financial compensation scheme for workers whose lives and health have been destroyed during the preparations for the championship, as, among other things, Amnesty has demanded. It is not possible to look away from all this for the sake of a football tournament. In addition to the documented working conditions in Qatar, Amnesty and the UN, among others, have reported on sexual abuse and structural racism in the desert state. Qatar has repeatedly pointed out that they have made changes to legislation and labor reforms, but as recently as October Amnesty made a number of demands on the World Cup organiser. Smith’s second reason is political. – It is important that as many people as possible show that we do not find ourselves in this. A boycott may not be able to change the social order in Qatar, but it can make it more difficult for Fifa to choose a dictatorship with no respect for human rights as World Cup host once again. Those who doubt the possible effect of a boycott overlook the results we have already seen: The supporter-driven grassroots initiative for Norway to boycott the World Cup in Qatar received great international attention, it led to the national team under Ståle Solbakken carrying out several demonstrations for human rights and to Lise Klaveness was elected president of the NFF with a clear mandate to speak against power at the Fifa congress in Qatar. All of this is the direct result of completely ordinary Norwegian football enthusiasts talking to each other and agreeing that they don’t want to find themselves in this anymore. – Fifa is an enormously powerful organization that will take time to turn around, but they are already being forced onto the defensive. Sports washing is at the fore in the public debate now in a completely different way than a couple of years ago. We have seen supporter protests in many countries. Several of the official World Cup sponsors have cut their traditional World Cup campaigns in Norway and other European countries because they know how unpopular the Qatar World Cup is in public opinion. They therefore do not get value for their money, and that will affect their willingness to pay the next time the World Cup is possibly awarded to an authoritarian regime. The same, of course, applies to the TV company that buys the broadcasting rights. And money is a language Fifa understands. That is why it is important that as many people as possible turn off the TV during this year’s World Cup finals, says Smith. Hege Riise, national team coach for Norway Photo: Rodrigo Freitas / NTB – Are you going to watch the WC in Qatar, or are you going to boycott? – I’m not thinking of a boycott, but it’s probably this championship that I’ve been looking forward to the least. I barely know who is there and what group they are in. I have little experience going into this championship. If I get to see some matches, I probably will, says Riise. – Is it to keep you updated? – I always like to watch football, and to get references and nuances, and it is the sport we are most fond of. Jørgen Strand Larsen, national team player and Celta Vigo player Photo: VEGARD GRØTT / BILDBYRÅN – Come and watch World Cup in Qatar? – Yes, I do. As a football fan since I was a small child, it will be difficult not to do it. I am not completely satisfied with the way things are, but there is not much I can do about it myself. I’m going to watch the WC. Erling Moe, Molde coach Photo: Marius Simensen / NTB – Are you going to watch the football World Cup, or are you going to boycott? – Yes, I will. Personally, I have a far greater sense that we have a dialogue in and around things, and not a boycott. This is how it is on all possible fronts in my life, so I will continue like this, says Moe to news. Guro Bergsvand, national team player Photo: Rodrigo Freitas / NTB – Are you going to watch the football World Cup? – I will see it. I have agreed to work with TV 2, and will sit as a guest in the studio there. I will of course see something. I have considered it so that – none of us are for that WC, it should never have happened – but I want to use my voice and be a good weight in such a studio. – What was it like to make that choice? – It was tough. I have gone several rounds. It hurts so much that you can’t look forward to the championship, and sometimes I get the feeling that I have a lot to say, and other days I think “why am I doing this”. Now I will stand in this election, and hope that we get some good football experiences and get more than just football in that championship. Kjetil Knutsen, Bodø/Glimt coach Photo: Annika Byrde / NTB – Do you plan to follow the football World Cup? – Not so much. I’ll probably come to see some matches, but because of the whole event and everything it stands for, I guess you’ll have to watch those matches with a tinge of taste. I’m going to have a little holiday, but I’m lying if I say I’m not watching, because I’m sure I will, says Knutsen. Emilie Haavi, national team player and Roma player Photo: Rodrigo Freitas / NTB – Are you going to watch the football World Cup? – I haven’t actually thought too much about it, and that is perhaps a little because you are not looking forward to the World Cup. It is in no way a championship that I support, or that I look forward to seeing, as one usually does. Most likely, I will not follow anything good. – You have no WC feeling? – No, I don’t have it. Maybe it’s because it’s December, too. Karl Petter Løken, general secretary of the Norwegian Football Association Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB – Are you going to watch the World Cup in Qatar? – I’m going to watch the soccer World Cup, right enough with an aftertaste in my mouth. Keeping up-to-date on top-level football is an important part of my job, says Løken. Lars Arne Nilsen, Aalesund coach Photo: Svein Ove Ekornesvåg / NTB – Are you going to watch the football World Cup? – I don’t think I want to talk about it. It’s complicated, I think. I can say that. In any case, I’m not going to watch the commercial break, says Nilsen. Birger Løfaldli, commentator in Adressa Photo: Ali Iqbal Tahir / news – Are you going to watch the WC? – Yes, I will follow the World Cup, both the football matches and not least the debates surrounding the championship. In addition, I look forward to following the media coverage of the Qatar WC. I understand the argument of those who find it easy to watch the World Cup, but as a journalist I think it will be wrong in principle. The press, and thus also my task, is to observe, ask relevant questions and have a critical view of what is happening in the world, no matter how unpleasant the reality is. This also applies to the football World Cup in Qatar, says Løfaldli to news. He continues: – So the critics can say that we in the press can also stop following the sport and only cover the non-sporting aspects of the championship. I think it will be wrong, as it is crucial to have the total picture in order to understand as much as possible and get the most possible coverage. Markus Henriksen, Rosenborg player Photo: Ole Martin Wold / NTB – Are you going to watch the WC? – We will have to take that when the time comes. There is no doubt that the WC will not be as fun as it has been. The World Cup must be the biggest thing that happens. There will be many countries and there will be a big party. Everything that has come out about what is happening in the host nation does not build up people looking forward to the World Cup, if you ask me, says Henriksen. Gaute Helstrup, Tromsø coach: Photo: Rune Stoltz Bertinussen / NTB – Some people like to watch the WC, others don’t want to. What are you doing? – Well then, I’ll see it, but it has an aftertaste. I am extremely dissatisfied with the allocation to Qatar, and things that have happened since then. I will be watching matches, but there may soon be a few fewer than usual. But I want to take some of the experience and the subject with me, says Helstrup. Reidar Sollie, sports manager at Dagsavisen Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB – Are you going to watch the WC? – Yes, I’m going to watch the soccer World Cup with an afterthought, but I have to watch for work-related reasons. I am a journalist, not an activist. At the same time, I notice that the commitment to sports medicine around this championship has never been lower. But when Qatar plays the opening match on Sunday, a team that is neither sportingly nor ethically qualified, it is our task to portray this and put it into context, says Sollie.
ttn-69
– So painful that you can’t be happy – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
