– I am ready for the feedback and I accept it. So it is. Kristoffer Løkberg tells NRK that people are enthusiastically participating.
in VG article in March 2021 Löckberg was clear that he supported a Norwegian rejection of Qatar’s water cycle.
“If you were to play a training course in Qatar, how big would it be and how proud would you really be?” he asked.
He still asks himself these questions, he says.
– I made many phone calls to those around me to hear their opinion on taking on this role. I have discussed with people I know and who know me, and I have concluded that it is better for me to participate in influencing and informing rather than interrupting, as he thinks.
But let it be clear: I have great respect for whoever chooses to boycott. It is important for me to say that we are in a team – just the path to the goal is different.
There is only a month left until the start of the most controversial soccer World Cup ever. Qatar, which has never qualified for the World Cup, won the tournament in 2010.
Since then, gross violations of human rights and a lack of freedom of expression and freedom of the press have been repeatedly documented.
– I would have liked to see my first participation in the tournament instead in connection with the European Commission in Germany in 2024. But I am looking forward to it, standing by my choice and understanding and respecting those who disagree. He stresses that it is permissible.
Løkberg will be part of the NRK WC team along with, among others, former national team coach ge Hareide and Heia Fotball presenter Tete Lidbom.
The authorities in Qatar made it clear in a leaked internal memo that “non-essential workers” should leave the country from September to mid-January. Now thousands of migrant workers with loans over their heads have to return to their impoverished countries.
Quarrel with acquaintances
The debate over boycotting the soccer World Cup is as relevant now, a month before the tournament, as it was after winning the award in 2010 or when Norwegian football voted “no” to Norway’s boycott of the soccer World Cup in Qatar last summer.
All this means that Lockberg is approaching his new role with mixed feelings.
I know that a lot of people become skeptical and negative when they hear “Qatar World Cup”. And you become one too. Early on I thought I had two options: to stand with those who believed boycotts were the best way to express their displeasure, or to use the opportunity to influence, and help ensure coverage was as balanced as possible, says Viking-Player, and asserts:
I want to highlight the dark sides – and at the same time give athletes the attention they deserve.
will be of use
Løkberg thinks it is good to watch the restroom in Qatar with a clear conscience and at the same time take a clear stand against sports washing.
This is precisely one of the reasons why he did not want to boycott.
– It is difficult, but I personally am able to separate the football aspect from all that Qatar stands for, all the violations of basic human rights and how they will seize this opportunity to emerge as a great, strong and great nation, he says, and adds:
– I thought a little about interruptions, and asked myself: If I’m sitting at home on the sofa on a cold December evening, and there’s a quarter-final between two good footballers, am I strong enough not to partake of TV to watch? I’m not sure about this. I have to be very honest. I think my voice is more informative if I’m part of a team trying to make an impact before, during and after the tournament than if I turn off the TV and don’t watch it.
The 30-year-old made a call to those who planned to boycott the upcoming tournament in Qatar:
– Do not attack those who help cover it up. They have the same feelings and thoughts as those who choose to boycott. It will be a deviation from the track, and we will lose focus on the important thing: that Qatar’s sport wash is not gaining a foothold, and that everyone is familiar with the championship background.
The World Cup in Qatar will run from November 20 to December 18 and broadcast on NRK and TV 2. The opening match on November 20 between host country Qatar and Ecuador will be broadcast on Direkte TV 2 and TV 2 Play, while the World Cup final is broadcast . On NRK 1 and NRK TV December 18.
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