Norway continues to want to boycott the World Cup in Qatar

On the first day of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, Norway took to the pitch with a jersey that read "Human rights, on and off the pitch". A choice that reflects the hard stance of the Norwegian national team, waiting to understand the final decision of the NFF council on the participation or boycott of the World Cup in Qatar. A strong and clear statement, with a message that Norway has been carrying forward since a small club - Tromsø - for the first time formalized the request to boycott the next world championships to the Norwegian football federation for the exploitation of workers in the Arab country. Suffice it to say that, according to the latest data, between 2010 and 2020 over 6,500 workers would have died, most of them immigrants from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal and reduced in fact to a condition of slavery since their arrival. in the host country.

The first round of votes (which ended on March 14) did not give results in favor of the boycott and for this reason Norway yesterday played - and won 3 to 0 - regularly against Gibraltar. It is not a final decision, however, that of Norges Fotballforbund which on 20 June will have to re-discuss the terms and conditions that have not reached the majority. The executives seem unwilling to accept the #NorvegiaOut option, even if they ethically support the message that yesterday at the Victoria Stadium - the only stadium in Gibraltar - was launched.

In March, Norway's initiative seemed isolated, but in recent weeks several companies have been joining the difficult crusade of Halaand & Co. In Germany, for example, the association representing minority members of professional teams (ProFans) argues that "there is nothing that can justify human rights violations" and asks the federation to consider the hypothesis of a boycott. An issue, that of human rights, which also raises the awareness of sponsors linked to the national teams: Arbejdernes Landsbank, one of the main sponsors of the Danish national team, has already made it known to the leaders of the federation that he will in no way want to be approached to the event and, in in case of qualification, the sponsorship will cease immediately.