Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has been given a court date after filing a lawsuit against Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA. The matter is scheduled for a hearing at Oslo District Court on Friday, October 9.
Haaland is on international duty with Norway, who face Wales in the Nations League on Thursday. The 26-year-old recently netted twice in a victory over Denmark and also scored against Portugal at the weekend.
World Cup marketing dispute
The City forward previously made his mark on the international stage during this summer's World Cup. Haaland found the back of the net seven times throughout the tournament, including a memorable double in Norway's triumph over Brazil before losing to England.
However, Haaland is embroiled in a legal dispute after launching proceedings against Norwegian over what is alleged to be a marketing breach. Norwegian publication VG has reported comments from lawyer Thomas Hagen of the law firm Schjodt concerning the matter.
"We can confirm that we, on behalf of York Promotions Ltd. and Erling Braut Haaland, have filed a summons against Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA," Hagen stated in an email to VG. "The case concerns Norwegian's unlawful exploitation of Haaland's characteristics in its marketing of airline tickets during the World Cup."
He added: "We have no further comments at this time."
Court schedule and airline response
The publication shared a photograph of the Oslo District Court schedule, which lists Haaland's hearing on October 9. The meeting is set as a video call running from 10am to 11am and is typically held between the judge and relevant parties to prepare a case ahead of trial.
While the specifics of the dispute remain unclear, Norwegian has removed social media posts featuring a mocked-up image of Haaland's former ponytail hairstyle superimposed on one of the airline's aircraft. The company confirmed to VG that it has received a lawsuit.
"It is true that we have received a lawsuit that we do not understand," Norwegian press officer Eivind Hammer Myhre told VG. "We, like almost all of Norway, have been involved in cheering on the national team this summer through a few spontaneous posts based on trends in social media."
"It is a shame that the cheers have been met with lawsuits, but we hope for a reasonable dialogue so that we can also be allowed to cheer on our common sports heroes in the future."
Focus shifts to Wales clash
Haaland's immediate attention will be fixed on steering Norway to victory against Wales at Cardiff City Stadium. Norway currently sit second in their Nations League group after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Portugal.
Wales will be looking to make a statement on home turf as Craig Bellamy's team seek to stop a troubling dip in form. The side have failed to win in their last six outings, suffering defeats to both Portugal and Denmark in their opening Nations League fixtures during the current international break.
