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The Norwegian national team has put further pressure with the world football association Fifa and World Cup host Qatar.
As part of their qualifying game for the controversial World Cup in 2022 in the emirate, the players around Dortmund's goal scorer Erling Haaland and the new captain Martin Ödegaard wore innocent-looking white T-shirts before the duel against Gibraltar (3-0), the messages of which were printed on them.
When warming up, the first thing to read was “Respect - On and off the pitch”.
A reference to the "Respect" campaign of the European Football Association Uefa, with which every form of injustice and misconduct has been branded since 2008.
Later, Haaland and his teammates wore similar shirts with the words "Human rights - On and off the pitch" for the national anthem.
At the latest then it became clear who the campaign was directed against: the addressees were the World Cup organizers in Qatar, to whom the Norwegians have now sent a silent message that the human rights situation in their country is in a bad state - also documented by the construction of the eight World Cups -Arena.
According to a report by the “Guardian”, around 6,500 guest workers have died in the meantime, who were killed during the construction of the stadiums due to overly lax occupational safety measures.
Norway's team was completely behind the protest
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It is no coincidence that the Norwegians sent the protest note around the world.
Their top division clubs were the first to call for a boycott of this World Cup at the end of February, followed by fan representatives in Europe.
Their national associations now have to ask themselves the question: Are a few games in the arenas of Qatar morally justifiable in the face of the thousands of dead?
When warming up and playing the national anthem, the Norwegian national team wore the shirts with the forbidden inscription
Source: dpa / Javier Fergo
The Norwegian team is nowhere near ready to skip the tournament, on the contrary, otherwise they would not have started in Gibraltar in the first place.
But they are combining their tour of the duels across Europe (the other group opponents are the Netherlands, Turkey, Latvia and Montenegro) with putting the world association Fifa under pressure so that it appears tougher against Qatar.
At least that's what Norway's new national coach Stale Solbakken is aiming for in conjunction with his squad.
The former Cologne coach also wore one of the shirts.
"It's a little bit about what we talked about, that we want to focus on what has been discussed outside the field," he told Norwegian broadcaster TV2: "I'm setting a good example."
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Solbakken had already revealed before the game that he and his players had discussed the Qatar issue and agreed on an action.
Solbakken, always known for having clearer opinions, doesn't see football as an island.
"For me, sport and politics are related," said the 53-year-old.
It is important to him that his players do not carry the burden alone.
"You stood up today for what I think is great, and for that you should get recognition and then we have to keep working."
According to captain Odegaard, the entire team was behind it.
Everyone agreed that what happened and is happening in Qatar is not good, the Arsenal FC attacking midfielder said.
“We had a long meeting where we could ask all questions.
We all agreed 100 percent that we wanted to send a message, ”said striker Alexander Sörloth from Bundesliga club RB Leipzig.
The Norwegian branch of the human rights organization Amnesty International welcomed the message.
“I am so happy that you chose it,” said Secretary General John Peder Egenaes.
It was initially suspected, however, that the Norwegian association would get a penalty from Fifa.
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This prohibits political as well as personal messages in the context of their games.
According to Fifa rule 4, “Equipment of the players”, the players on the pitch are not allowed to display underwear with political, religious or personal messages, pictures or advertising slogans with the exception of the manufacturer's logo.
But Fifa does not want to impose a penalty that could cause additional unrest.
"Fifa believes in freedom of expression and in the power of football to drive positive change," the association announced on Thursday.
The World Cup OK comes to 37 deaths
The debate about the controversial awarding of the World Cup to Qatar will not stop, it has been going on for weeks, the Norwegian Football Association is holding a special meeting on June 20 on the question of a World Cup boycott.
The 2022 World Cup was awarded to the wealthy emirate in 2010.
The country is repeatedly criticized internationally for the exploitation of guest workers, the dead from five Asian countries who lost their lives while building the stadiums caused international horror.
Qatar's government, on the other hand, declares that reforms in recent years have significantly improved the situation of workers.
The World Cup OK comes in its reports on a total of 37 deaths.
Three of them were related to the work, 34 not, said a spokesman.
Human rights activists also admit that the situation of migrant workers in Qatar has improved in the run-up to the World Cup - the result of several government reforms.
For example, the strict exit regulations have been relaxed.
The government now proudly states that workers have been able to change jobs freely for six months and no longer need an exit permit to leave the country.
The UN labor organization ILO certifies that the emirate has effectively dismantled the Kafala system in Qatar.
This system, which is also widespread in other countries in the region, binds foreign workers firmly to a local guarantor - and thus opens the door to their abuse.
Nevertheless, the human rights organizations continue to put their fingers in the wound.
Although Qatar has had a minimum wage of around 230 euros a month since Saturday, it is too low, Amnesty complains.
The working hours are also often extremely long.
Migrants complain that they have to work seven days a week and that they do not get any vacation for months.
Domestic workers in particular suffer from such abuses.
In addition, Amnesty complains that the reforms have been decided, but are inadequately implemented.
Thousands of migrant workers are still at the mercy of unscrupulous employers.
"Now they have their embarrassment"
Despite allegations from within our own ranks, the summer fairy tale affair has now also been filed for FIFA.
Possible misconduct by the German World Cup makers in 2006 is statute barred for the ethicists of the world association.
Source: SID