Just minutes before a crucial World Cup qualifier, massive flags appeared in the stadium, completely unrelated to the two competing nations. These weren’t celebratory banners for global soccer; they were signs of a deeper geopolitical tension.
As Norway and Israel prepared for kickoff on Saturday evening, Norwegian fans displayed a Palestinian flag and a banner pleading ‘Let Children Live.’ The atmosphere intensified as Israel’s national anthem played, met with a chorus of boos and whistles from parts of the home crowd.
This public display, alongside a pregame march involving around 1,500 people, highlighted how soccer has become an unexpected platform for protests against Israel’s actions in the Gaza war. Such demonstrations are anticipated to continue, even after a recent cease-fire, with Israeli soccer officials bracing for similar scenes at their upcoming qualifier in Udine, Italy.
Following his team’s crushing 5-0 defeat, Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz grimly acknowledged, ‘It is our reality today,’ referring to the charged atmosphere.
Purely from a sporting perspective, this match was highly significant, considered one of the most pivotal in Norway’s soccer history. A win would have brought them within touching distance of their first men’s World Cup appearance in almost three decades.
Despite the game’s importance, many Norwegian soccer officials and fans have consistently voiced strong opinions regarding Israel’s involvement in international competitions. They saw this match as a prime opportunity to amplify their message. Months ago, Norway’s soccer federation pledged to donate all proceeds from the game to Doctors Without Borders for humanitarian efforts in Gaza, a commitment echoed by a team sponsor who added another €300,000 (approximately $350,000).
Inside Andy’s Pub, a soccer pub in Oslo, a small group of friends from Tromso, near the Arctic Circle, gathered for pre-game beers, proudly wearing vintage 90s Norwegian jerseys – a nod to their team’s last World Cup appearance. Noticeably absent was their friend Kurt, 55, who, according to Ronny Jordness, was boycotting the game.
Jordness explained, ‘I tried to convince him that all the money was going to Gaza, so he should come, but I still couldn’t sway him.’
Israeli officials expressed frustration that this particular game was singled out for a charity donation. During a heated press conference the day before, reporters accompanying the team aggressively questioned Lise Klaveness, president of Norway’s soccer federation, on this and other contentious issues.
Klaveness has become a lightning rod for Israeli criticism, advocating for Israel’s exclusion from global soccer, similar to Russia’s ban following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. She contends that Israel has violated FIFA rules, particularly regarding teams from Israeli settlements in the West Bank competing in its professional league, and has criticized FIFA’s prolonged investigation into these matters.
In a Saturday interview, Klaveness explained that the donation aimed partly to reassure Norwegian fans that supporting their national team was acceptable. ‘We knew the game would have a very political backdrop, and that many people in Norway would find it difficult to attend and support Norway,’ she stated.
Outside the stadium, a pro-Palestinian rally preceded a 90-minute march through Oslo, drawing cheers from apartment windows and stopped vehicles, indicating broad public support.
Protest organizers argued that the Gaza cease-fire agreement was insufficient. The plan involved Hamas releasing remaining hostages from its October 7, 2023, attack in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces.
‘This isn’t the end of the occupation,’ declared Line Khateeb, one of the protest’s organizers. ‘It doesn’t mean the West Bank is free, nor does it mean Palestine is free. We must continue to push for sanctions against Israel to ensure accountability and a truly free Palestine.’
The match’s security operation was unprecedented for Norway since the 1994 Winter Olympics, featuring a no-fly zone over the stadium and extensive road closures. Israel’s 60-member delegation included 16 security agents, while police outside arrested over 20 protesters.
For Israel’s national team, these heightened emotions and political tensions are an ever-present reality.
During a pre-match news conference, Coach Ran Ben-Shimon made a dramatic gesture, pulling a light blue kipa from his pocket, placing it on his head, and offering a Hebrew prayer for the safe return of hostages and soldiers in Gaza.
Visibly frustrated by the nature of the questions, team captain Eli Dasa remarked, ‘I feel like I’m a politician from the government of Israel here, not a footballer meant to play against Norway tomorrow.’ In a previous game two years prior, Dasa had controversially displayed a soccer shoe he claimed belonged to an Israeli child abducted by Hamas on October 7.
Since the war began, other Israeli teams have also reported antisemitic incidents. Last November, dozens were arrested in Amsterdam following what officials described as antisemitic attacks on fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv, alongside vandalism and inflammatory behavior from both sides during a European club match, including anti-Arab chants.
While Norwegian soccer officials have consistently advocated for banning Israel from competitions, other European nations have more recently considered similar actions as public opinion across the continent increasingly turned against Israel regarding the Gaza conflict.
Just weeks prior, discussions intensified among European soccer leaders about potentially banning Israeli teams from competition – a significant move given their traditional participation in European national and club leagues. Klaveness noted that talk of a decisive meeting on the ban had grown considerably.
However, a comprehensive peace plan announced by President Trump with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging Hamas’s agreement, significantly diffused these escalating discussions about banning Israel’s soccer team, easing the diplomatic pressure.
‘There was genuine momentum for a meeting,’ Klaveness recalled. ‘But once peace talks began, everything calmed down.’
The turmoil has also impacted soccer officials. Protesters gathered outside the homes of Italian soccer president Gabriele Gravina and national team coach Gennaro Gattuso. Gattuso recently commented that he anticipated more demonstrators outside Udine’s Stadio Friuli than actual fans inside for the upcoming Israel-Italy qualifier.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, a known ally of President Trump, attempted to de-escalate fan opposition to Israel last week.
Speaking on the sidelines of a European soccer executives’ meeting in Rome, Infantino stated, ‘There is now a cease-fire; everyone should be happy about that. Everyone should support that process.’
As the Oslo match neared its conclusion, with jubilant Norwegian fans on the verge of a World Cup return, a megaphone previously used for national chants was passed to a man wearing a kaffiyeh, a prominent symbol of Palestinian resistance. Soon after, cries of ‘Free, free Palestine’ echoed through the stadium.