ISTANBUL

Norwegian Football Association President Lise Klaveness said she has always been careful to highlight violations of FIFA and UEFA statutes related to Israel’s actions in Gaza and emphasized that this discussion must continue.

Klaveness held a press conference before the Norway-Israel match, scheduled for Saturday, in the European Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

Klaveness responded to Anadolu's question about whether a ceasefire has been declared in Gaza. "As the head of the Norwegian FA, do you maintain your view that Israel should be banned from international football to be held accountable for the genocide it committed in Gaza? Or will everything that happened be forgotten now that a ceasefire has been declared?"

She said they, like everyone else, are very happy that a peace agreement has been reached. "I think it’s crucial to give it energy and momentum. Of course, we’re not directly involved in these talks, but we all have platforms.

"The impression we want to leave is that we are genuinely happy about this development. More important than tomorrow’s match is that the bombings stop and the hostages return home," she added.

Klaveness went on to say that when we talked about this and the sanctions and suspensions before, it was about violations of FIFA regulations.

"It’s not that we don’t care about violations of humanitarian and international law, but this is a political issue. That’s why I’ve been very careful to highlight violations of FIFA and UEFA regulations, and why that discussion must continue," she stressed.  

'We're one of the few federations that doesn't do anything behind the scenes'  

Klaveness stated that neither they nor any other organization can remain indifferent to the extreme human suffering taking place in the context of this match.

She emphasized that they lacked the power to mobilize Europe, but everyone noticed a movement in Europe.

"I think everyone understands that this wasn't a Norwegian initiative, but we're not doing anything behind the scenes, which is perhaps why the Israeli Federation is doing this. The road is easy for us because we've been outspoken for two years. I don't know what kind of momentum there was after the UN report, but it happened; it didn't come from Oslo," Klaveness added.

She noted: "We've been involved from the beginning, and banning Israel isn't our goal. It's a rules-based system, and we strive to intervene in all such cases."

Klaveness also said they, as a federation, are going to try to energize that discussion, or at least promote these kinds of conversations.

"It's difficult, because if you’re the only one driving the discussion, it could be interpreted politically as taking sides in the conflict—but we accept that," she added.