Tennis balls, remote-controlled cars – and even flying fish cakes: Spectators of Norway’s elite series are demanding the abolition of the controversial video assistant referee by any means necessary
Since its introduction last year, there has been no peace around the video assistant in the Norwegian elite series. There have been critical reactions from the fan scenes right from the start – on Sunday evening they reached their interim peak.
Both fan camps prevent the match from continuing
“The match has been abandoned. Please leave the stadium,” could be read on the scoreboard at Trondheim’s Lerkendal Stadium shortly before 8pm, where the match between Rosenborg and Lilleström was supposed to take place. However, the spectators only got to see around 30 minutes of soccer, for which they themselves were – at least in part – responsible.
Just a few minutes after the start of the match, supporters of the home team had thrown fish cakes onto the pitch, provoking the first stoppage in play. Three further stoppages followed, in which visiting supporters also played their part, whereupon the referee finally felt compelled to abandon the league match for good.
Memories of protests against DFL investor
Karl-Petter Löken, Secretary General of the Norwegian Football Association, was stunned by the behavior of certain spectators immediately after the match was called off. “I am in Northern Ireland at the U-19 European Championship. Norway is playing now and I haven’t seen it, but from what I’ve heard, it’s unbelievable and absolutely reprehensible,” Löken told the newspaper Dagbladet in a short message.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian association representatives have been faced with the difficult task of counteracting the protests – similar to the case of the planned DFL investor in Germany at the beginning of the year – not just since Sunday evening. However, the current events are undoubtedly putting them under further pressure.
Only recently, in an interview with VG, a spokesperson for the organization “Norsk Supporterallianse”, which represents the interests of Norwegian soccer fans, explained that the actions “will continue and increase in the future”. “They not only show the hatred for the VAR, but also symbolize how arbitrary match interruptions are ruining soccer.” They will “not give up until the VAR has disappeared from Norwegian soccer. “
