Norwegian fans announce protests after professional clubs' vote to scrap VAR overruled
The 2025 Eliteserien, Norway's top division, begins on Saturday March 28 and fans will stay out of stadiums for the first 15 minutes of each match before entering en masse as a protest against the recent decision to continue using VAR.
Advertisement
The Norwegian Supporter Alliance (NSA) drew up the initiative as a 'silent demonstration and walk-in', while a joint statement from supporters' groups at Oslo-based Valerenga say the action 'is intended to raise awareness that member democracy is under attack by anti-democratic forces who want to take control of Norwegian football'.
In January, the 32 teams in Norsk Toppfotball (NTF), which represents clubs across Norway's top two divisions — the Eliteserien and First Division — passed a motion by 19 votes to 13 to request the Norway Football Federation (NFF) 'adopt the discontinuation of VAR as soon as possible'.
However, the NFF responded by asking all 450 of its member clubs — the vast majority of whom are amateur and grassroots clubs who do not use the officiating technology — to vote on whether they wished to maintain VAR, with 321 voting in favour of keeping the system and 129 voting against.
The Valerenga fan groups say the demonstration will 'symbolise what the abolition of member democracy can do to the supporter culture around Norwegian teams', with their view that the will of the NTF professional clubs has been ignored by the NFF.
'For this celebration to be successful, it will require everyone to make a sacrifice,' the joint statement added. 'We understand that everyone is looking forward to seeing our beloved Valerenga back in the league again, but we encourage everyone to find other solutions to watch the first 15 minutes. For example, venues will show the match on a big screen.
'As a last resort, there are still tickets available elsewhere in the stadium. We would like to emphasize that no attempts will be made to stop the matches.
'Defend member democracy!'
VAR was introduced into Eliteserien in 2023 but has frequently been the subject of supporter protests. One incident in July 2024 saw the top-flight match between Rosenborg and Lillestrom abandoned after supporters threw tennis balls, fishcakes and smokebombs onto the pitch in protest against the technology.
Advertisement
A VAR report from the NFF in November stated the federation was being criticised for 'its communication style regarding VAR', adding: 'Players acknowledge that VAR has enhanced the fairness of refereeing decisions, but call for improvements in time management and more predictable procedures.'
Elsewhere in Europe, Sweden became the first country to reject implementing VAR after fan backlash in May. In June Premier League clubs rejected proposals to scrap VAR following a motion from Wolverhampton Wanderers at the league's AGM.
()
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
40 minutes ago
- NBC News
Rookie Shane van Gisbergen remains NASCAR's king of the road courses with 4th victory of the season
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Shane van Gisbergen's latest victory in NASCAR's premier series was as historical as it was emotional. With his father, Robert, on hand for the first time this year, the Auckland, New Zealand, native set a Cup Series rookie record with his fourth victory, blowing out the competition again at Watkins Glen International. "It's just amazing to have him here," said van Gisbergen, who last saw his father while visiting home over the Christmas break. "It's been a very tough, tough year for dad, and he hasn't been able to travel, so to have him here for the next three weeks and share this with him, it's amazing." As amazing as van Gisbergen's rookie season in the Cup series. The Trackhouse Racing driver joined 2020 champion Chase Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon as the only drivers to win four consecutive Cup races on road or street courses. Unlike his prior wins at Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma, van Gisbergen was unable to start from the pole position after being edged by Ryan Blaney. After qualifying second, van Gisbergen bided his time and took his first lead on the 25th of the 90-lap race. He then settled into a typically flawless and smooth rhythm on the 2.45-mile road course. "I'm just a very lucky guy to get to drive for an amazing bunch of people and just execute," van Gisbergen said. "The day went flawlessly." The 36-year-old rookie made his final pit stop with 27 laps remaining and cycled into first place on Lap 74 of a clean race with only three yellow flags. Cruising to a big lead while leading the final 17 laps, van Gisbergen beat Christopher Bell by 11.116 seconds. "I'm thrilled because we've been struggling a little bit," Bell said. "Just trying to execute the races has been tough for us, so really awesome to have a good day. Frustrated to get our butts kicked by [van Gisbergen]. He's doing such a really good job." With five victories in only 38 career starts in NASCAR's premier series, van Gisbergen trails only Elliott (seven wins) and Kyle Larson (six) among active drivers on street or road courses. He also is the fastest to five wins in Cup since the legendary Dan Gurney, who won his fifth race in his 13th start in January 1968. The win validated the decision by Trackhouse to sign van Gisbergen to a multiyear contract extension last week. Tied with Denny Hamlin for the series lead in victories, van Gisbergen holds the No. 2 seed in the playoffs with two races remaining in the regular season. The first round will be held at three oval tracks, where the inexperienced van Gisbergen, who raced exclusively on road and street courses while winning three championships in the Australia-based Supercars, has an average finish of 26.9 this year. "It ain't going to be easy, that's for sure," van Gisbergen said of his playoff outlook. "The first round, it's some very difficult left-handed tracks for me, but I'm getting better at it, and I'm enjoying myself, and it's a challenge. That's why we're here, and we'll have a proper crack at it." Playoff watch Third-place finisher Chris Buescher improved to 34 points ahead of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing teammate Ryan Preece in the battle for the final playoff spot. Buescher outdueled van Gisbergen on the final lap to win at Watkins Glen last year. His team tailored its strategy Sunday toward amassing stage points instead of following the win-oriented strategy used by van Gisbergen. "Last year, we didn't have to deal with the points side of things, so we brought a fast race car and made it happen," Buescher said. "We had a really fast race car again, just definitely took the opportunity to capitalize on some big stage points early." Feisty Gibbs It was another frustrating race for Ty Gibbs, who spun John Hunter Nemechek late in Stage 2 and then complained about the handling and strategy of his No. 54 Toyota. Joe Gibbs Racing competition director Chris Gabehart, who recently began working as a strategist and consultant to Gibbs' team, radioed the driver to "stay in the game" after the Nemechek wreck and later took issue after Gibbs questioned his team's strategy. "I'm sure you've got a real good understanding from inside the car," Gabehart told Gibbs on the radio. "So you can call the strategy if you want, or we can keep rolling." Gibbs, the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, finished 33rd and remained winless since moving into Cup after winning the 2022 Xfinity Series championship. Teammates Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell have qualified for the playoffs with victories this season. Up next The Cup Series will race Saturday at Richmond Raceway, which will play host to its only NASCAR race weekend this season. The 0.75-mile oval had two annual races on the Cup schedule from 1959-2024.
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Rookie Shane van Gisbergen remains NASCAR's king of the road courses with fourth victory of the season
As amazing as van Gisbergen's rookie season in the Cup series. The Trackhouse Racing driver joined 2020 champion Chase Elliott and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon as the only drivers to win four consecutive Cup races on road or street courses. SVG does it again! 🏁🏁🏁🏁 — NASCAR (@NASCAR) Advertisement Unlike his prior wins at Mexico City, Chicago, and Sonoma, van Gisbergen was unable to start from pole position after being edged by Ryan Blaney. After qualifying second, van Gisbergen bided his time and took his first lead on the 25th of the 90-lap race. He then settled into a typically flawless and smooth rhythm on the 2.45-mile road course. 'I'm just a very lucky guy to get to drive for an amazing bunch of people and just execute,' van Gisbergen said. 'The day went flawlessly.' The 36-year-old rookie made his final pit stop with 27 laps remaining and cycled into first place on Lap 74 of a clean race with only three yellow flags. Cruising to a big lead while leading the final 17 laps, van Gisbergen beat Christopher Bell by 11.116 seconds. Advertisement 'I'm thrilled because we've been struggling a little bit,' Bell said. 'Just trying to execute the races has been tough for us, so really awesome to have a good day. Frustrated to get our butts kicked by (van Gisbergen). He's doing such a really good job.' With five victories in only 38 career starts in NASCAR's premier series, van Gisbergen trails only Elliott (seven wins) and Kyle Larson (six) among active drivers on street or road courses. He also is the fastest to five Cup wins since the legendary Dan Gurney, who won his fifth race in his 13th start in January 1968. The win validated the decision by Trackhouse to sign van Gisbergen to a multiyear contract extension last week. Tied with Denny Hamlin for the series lead in victories, van Gisbergen holds the No. 2 seed in the playoffs with two races remaining in the regular season. The first round will be held at three oval tracks, where the inexperienced van Gisbergen, who raced exclusively on road and street courses while winning three championships in the Australia-based V8 Supercars, has an average finish of 26.9 this year. Setting himself up for playoff success. 💪 — NASCAR (@NASCAR) 'It ain't going to be easy, that's for sure,' van Gisbergen said of his playoff outlook. 'The first round, it's some very difficult left-handed tracks for me, but I'm getting better at it, and I'm enjoying myself, and it's a challenge. That's why we're here, and we'll have a proper crack at it.' Third-place finisher Chris Buescher improved to 34 points ahead of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing teammate Ryan Preece in the battle for the final playoff spot. Advertisement Buescher outdueled van Gisbergen on the final lap to win at Watkins Glen last year. His team tailored its strategy Sunday toward amassing stage points instead of following the win-oriented strategy used by van Gisbergen. 'Last year, we didn't have to deal with the points side of things, so we brought a fast race car and made it happen,' Buescher said. 'We had a really fast race car again, just definitely took the opportunity to capitalize on some big stage points early.' It was another frustrating race for Ty Gibbs, who spun John Hunter Nemechek late in Stage 2 and then complained about the handling and strategy of his No. 54 Toyota. Joe Gibbs Racing competition director Chris Gabehart, who recently began working as a strategist and consultant to Gibbs' team, radioed the driver to 'stay in the game' after the Nemechek wreck and later took issue after Gibbs questioned his team's strategy. A replay from inside the Nos. 42 and 54. — NASCAR (@NASCAR) Gibbs, the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, finished 33rd and remained winless since moving into Cup after winning the 2022 Xfinity Series championship. Teammates Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell have qualified for the playoffs with victories this season. The Cup Series will race Saturday at Richmond Raceway, which will play host to its only NASCAR race weekend this season. The 0.75-mile oval had two annual races on the Cup schedule from 1959-2024.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ski jumping's suit trouble is back ahead of Olympics as numerous athletes disqualified
The right suit can help send a ski jumper soaring to gold. The wrong suit will get you grounded. Ski jumping faces more controversy with six months to go until the Winter Olympics after the first high-level competition of the new season saw numerous athletes disqualified over ill-fitting suits. The governing body says it's 'perfectly normal.' The ski jumping world was rocked in March by the discovery of illegally altered suits on the Norwegian team at the world championships. The International Ski Federation investigated officials and athletes over those changes which could help the wearer soar through the air for longer with the suit's larger surface area. In Saturday's first event of the 2025-26 season — a summer Grand Prix event on an artificial surface in France — six male ski jumpers were disqualified because of suit issues such as waist size and three more were 'not permitted to start.' Another jumper from Japan was blocked from competing as the Grand Prix continued Sunday. The federation told The Associated Press in an e-mailed statement that it's treating the spate of disqualifications as the natural result of tightening up the rules after the Norwegian suit scandal. FIS race director Sandro Pertile said he doesn't think anyone was trying to cheat and that fewer disqualifications will occur as teams get used to the rules. Making specialized ski jumping equipment is 'a fairly complicated matter,' he said. 'It's perfectly normal for teams to need some time to adapt to the new situation after such comprehensive changes to the equipment regulations. Some cope with it straight away, others find it difficult at first," Pertile told the AP. 'It's also important to highlight that these disqualifications are clearly a result of technical inadequacies — there's no sign whatsoever of ill intent from the teams.' FIS indicated that a further nine men and five women didn't compete following a 'technical approval' process, though it wasn't clear if all of those cases involved their suits. Five of those 14 were on the United States team, which didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Among those disqualified Saturday was Norway's Kristoffer Eriksen Sundal, who had previously been provisionally suspended earlier this year following the world championships. FIS signaled it will remain rigorous in its checks through the Olympic season but expects to find athletes wearing increasingly snug — and therefore legal — suits. 'The teams know that they have our full support, and we expect the number of disqualifications to decrease significantly in the coming weeks,' Pertile said. "With that said, we will remain strict and precise with equipment check the whole season long; there is no room for exceptions.' ___ AP sports:
