Norway manager Ståle Solbakken has spoken out against the staging of the World Cup in Qatar and says his country’s football association will continue to make its feelings known during the tournament.
Solbakken will not be attending the World Cup and, as a mark of protest, the Norwegian Football Federation has decided that the only national team member in Qatar will be the analyst whose sole remit is to watch Spain, who Norway play in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier next March.
Speaking at the 72nd Fifa Congress last March, NFF president Lise Klaveness delivered a scathing rebuke of the decision to award Qatar the World Cup. Klaveness will travel to Doha for the World Cup where she is expected to use the opportunity to again express critical views.
Solbakken believes the world, generally, has been too quiet and too slow in highlighting concerns on Qatar staging the competition.
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“I think that first of all Fifa has the biggest failing, given the circumstances back when Qatar was given the tournament,” Solbakken said in Dublin, ahead of Norway’s friendly against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium tonight.
“That is obviously the biggest mistake. After that, I don’t think football has done enough, I don’t think journalists have done enough. I think you also have been asleep for a long, long time.
“I think it’s only in the last year that it’s suddenly, ’Oh the World Cup is in Qatar’. The first years after it was given to Qatar I think the whole world was more or less asleep, including football people, and also journalists.”
Stephen Kenny will be flying to Doha and has explained his reasons for attending the tournament, but Solbakken will not be in Qatar.
“Our board has concluded that we are only sending one man to the World Cup and that is our analyst who will watch Spain in those three games. Otherwise, no one else will travel down and watch the games,” he said.
“I think our president, Lise, will travel but not to see the games and not to watch football, but to make another stand on the political side of it.”
Solbakken has also expressed frustration at the lack of proper discourse on the issue from football’s governing body.
Fifa president Gianna Infantino addressed the G20 summit in Bali earlier this week, during which he called for dialogue to begin between Russia and Ukraine, and suggested the possibility of a temporary ceasefire during the World Cup.
“My personal concerns are obviously on the human rights issue and the Fifa democracy way of handling it, which has not been good,” added Solbakken.
“Now, coming close to the World Cup, it is a little bit the same that the leaders of Fifa in many ways come up with some strange meanings; Let’s play football, let’s not focus on the other things, but at the same time trying to stop a war. So, it’s a little bit strange, the communication.”
On the football front, Solbakken is preparing for tonight’s friendly without Erling Haaland. But, as they are discovering, it seems whenever Norway travel their destination will be awaiting them suspended in a temporary Erling Haaland state of mind. Even if he’s not there; especially if he’s not there.
A large chunk of the 45,000 tickets sold for tonight’s game were shifted on the expectation of seeing Haaland do his thing, and the Norwegian squad had been dealing with questions on the Manchester City player all week.
“Obviously you always want the best players with you,” admitted Norway’s Mohamed Elyounoussi, the attacking winger who plays for Southampton.
“Not only as a footballer, but as a person as well, he’s a good guy. Obviously he contributes a lot, not only here but obviously in Manchester City too, he scores a lot of goals.
“But I’m sure whoever is going to come in and play in that position is going to do well. We have some exciting young players.”
Elyounoussi hopes to face his Southampton clubmate, Gavin Bazunu, at the Aviva tonight.
“He’s obviously still very young, he wants to learn, he trains really hard. It hasn’t been easy for him I guess because we are struggling a bit at the moment,” he said.
“But he has shown character, he has shown he is more than capable of being a goalkeeper at Premier League level. I’m looking forward to playing against him.
“He’s very mature and down to earth. I was kind of surprised when I found out what his real age was. He has shown that he has a bright future ahead of him.”
This is Elyounoussi’s first time in Ireland, but the sight of the tricolour has made him feel somewhat at home in Dublin. Elyounoussi spent two seasons with Celtic, winning the treble – Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup, League Cup – in the 2019-20 campaign.
“There is the kind of connection when you see the Irish flag because that is something you saw everywhere in Celtic,” he said.
“I had a really good time, it was a period where I needed to play games, get confidence again and find myself. I think I certainly did that in Celtic. The size of the club, the fans, everything was brilliant, and it is still a club I am following and watch and support.”
