Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), is under scrutiny from Uefa after publicly advocating for Israel's ban from international football. Her stance, more strident than any other European football chief, has strained relations with the Israeli Football Association and drawn criticism from Israeli journalists during a pre-match press conference in Oslo.
The controversy surrounds Saturday's World Cup qualifier between Norway and Israel at Ullevaal Stadion, which is being held under unprecedented security measures, including a no-fly zone and anti-terror operations, the highest since the 1994 Winter Olympics. Several thousand protesters are expected to march under the slogan “Red card for Israel”, organised by the Palestine Committee in Norway, while other groups plan separate demonstrations.
Klaveness reiterated that her position is not about banning Israel specifically but about enforcing Fifa's rules regarding illegal presence in occupied Palestinian territory. She noted that a Uefa vote on banning Israel was put on hold following Donald Trump's peace plan momentum. The NFF has also donated match proceeds to Doctors Without Borders for Gaza, which the Israeli FA condemned as a political statement.
Israel's captain Eli Dasa downplayed the heightened security, confirming 16 Mossad agents would be present, a standard measure for their matches. The Israeli manager Ran Ben Shimon paused his pre-match press conference to recite a Bible passage, a gesture he said was in tribute to the situation.
Campaigners like Line Khateeb of the Palestine Committee argue Israel should not be allowed to play while violating international law and preventing Palestinian footballers from participating. However, the NFF has not considered boycotting the match, and the Norwegian supporter alliance has stepped back from protests to focus on the team's historic World Cup qualification bid, their first in 27 years.
