Norway’s players marked the start of their quest for qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, protesting the alleged treatment of workers by the Gulf state before the opening match against Gibraltar began on Wednesday.
The Norwegian team, including Martin Odegaard, loaned by Arsenal from Real Madrid, and Erling Haaland, from Borussia Dortmund, wore T-shirts with the words “Human rights – on and off the field” when they lined up for the game, which ended up winning 3 – 0
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On Thursday, FIFA said it would not discipline Norway for pro-human rights T-shirts.
FIFA’s disciplinary code states that players and associations may face disciplinary action in cases of “using a sporting event for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature”.
However, FIFA said it would not file a lawsuit against Norway – continuing a more relaxed policy it showed at the 2018 World Cup towards women campaigning for access to stadiums in Iran.
“FIFA believes in freedom of expression and the power of football as a force for good,” the governing body said in a statement on Thursday.
The Qatar World Cup organizing committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Norway has one of its best chances in recent memory to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1998, but a boycott move to the tournament, initiated by the first division club, Tromso, has recently gained momentum in the country.
Tromso asked the Norwegian football federation to consider boycotting the World Cup after an investigation by the British newspaper The Guardian, which claims that 6,500 migrant workers have died in occupational accidents since the tournament was awarded to Qatar in 2010.
In response to the Guardian’s report, the Qatar government said that a “very small percentage” of more than 1.4 million expats in the state died between 2011 and 2019.
The government statement said it had taken steps to improve workers’ health and safety over the past two decades and imposed punishments on business owners who violated safety regulations.