Norway is using its influence inside football to push for Israel’s suspension from FIFA, Politico reported over the weekend.
Details of the campaign were outlined in a Politico report examining how the Norwegian Football Federation and its president, Lise Klaveness, are seeking to move demands for sanctions against Israel into the mainstream of European football.
Klaveness, a lawyer and former player for Norway’s women’s national football team who sits on UEFA’s executive committee, has pursued the issue through football’s formal governing structures rather than through a unilateral Norwegian boycott.
Last year Klaveness began working to secure sanctions against the Israel Football Association, stating that Israel should be excluded from international competition.
“We believe Israel should be suspended, and this is about upholding the rules,” Klaveness said ahead of Norway’s World Cup qualifier against Israel in Oslo last year. She explained that Norway would not boycott the match unilaterally because forfeiting it could award Israel a victory and improve its chances of qualification. Norway went on to defeat Israel 5-0.
