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Norwegian sports have repeatedly experienced convicts finding their way back into the sporting environment in roles that do not require a police certificate. But in such cases, there is little they can do.
The online newspaper recently wrote about “Ida”, the abuse victim who is fighting a desperate battle to remove her own abuser from the sporting community in eastern Norway.
According to the verdict, she was 12 when her basketball coach began a relationship with her, and for a period of several years they had daily sexual relations.
The man was later sentenced to prison, but now he has served his sentence and has found a way to get back to sports.
He has accomplished this by assuming the role of a volunteer sports photographer, one of the few roles that means no need to present a police certificate.
REQUEST FOR HELP: Ida has contacted the police and the Norwegian Sports Confederation several times in the hope that they will remove him from the sport.
Photography: Simen Lønning (Nettavisen)
So what can sports and the police really do in such cases?
– NFF has no authority
Henrik Lunde, Section Leader for “Club and Activity” of the Norwegian Football Association, answers the following to the question whether the NFF has any opportunity to remove ex-abusers from the football community when the person has finished to serve a sentence and today has a role that does not require a police certificate.
– Unfortunately, this is a topic that is not new. NFF has no authority or opportunity for this, it tells Nettavisen.
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Lunde points out that if the person in question is not in a position that requires a police certificate, formally there is no possibility for the NFF to step in and do anything.
However, it reveals that the NFF has on some occasions engaged in a dialogue with clubs that, for example, have had a previous conviction for abuse in the board.
They have then given a clear recommendation that the person should not be allowed to hold a position in the club.
– But there is nothing formal in the way the club can have an abusive person on the board, says Lunde.
Bjørn Vandvik
Photo: Ørn E. Borgen (NTB)
– Little can the police do
The director of the department of the Norwegian Police Directorate, Bjørn Vandvik, says that the police also have no basis to intervene in situations like this.
– No, the police do not have the opportunity to remove a volunteer in sport who has been previously convicted and has finished his sentence, and has a role that does not require a police certificate, Vandvik tells Nettavisen.
– Do the police do something preventive in these cases, or are ex-convicts allowed to operate with total freedom in the sports field as long as they have served their sentence and have a role that does not require a police certificate?
– We have few opportunities to do our own preventive work against ex-convicts. To the extent that the police, in their investigation of, say, a case of sexual abuse, become aware that the suspects are employees of sports teams, the police will make an assessment of the sports team notification, he says.
– There are probably many who think that it is bad enough that ex-convicts in cases of child abuse can be part of the sport. What is the police message for them?
– A decision has been made on for whom a police certificate can be required, and this group is left out. To the extent that this can be questioned, it is a question that should be directed to the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness, Vandvik believes.
Here you can read all the cases in the series: Abuse in sports
DESPERATE BATTLE: “Ida” is fighting for her own abuser to be removed from the sport.
Photography: Simen Lønning (Nettavisen)
– Important principle
The Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness tells Nettavisen that the current legal basis only applies to people with roles that involve a relationship of trust or responsibility towards minors.
– Currently, no expansion has been considered. In addition, it is an important principle that, in principle, you should be able to complete a case after the sentence has been served, says Andreas Skjøld-Lorange, the ministry’s communications adviser.
“Ida” answers: – I have no words
The abuse victim “Ida” reacts strongly to the fact that the abuser, whom she is sure she will hit several times, may be around children and young people on a sports field where she wants to be safe.
You have been presented with responses from the police, the NFF, and the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness, and you don’t like what you read.
– May interpret responses to mean that nothing is done and is not taken seriously enough before abuse occurs and is reported. Then it is too late. I have no words, he tells Nettavisen.
He notes that the man had previously been convicted of abuse with clear preferences for younger girls, and now has a role that means that he spends a lot of time volunteering in an environment with many children and young people.
– Of course, there is a high probability that further abuses have been or will be committed. Anyway, is there really any chance they are willing to run? For the police and the NFF to be fully aware of this without doing anything is insane, Ida sighs.
Henrik Lunde from the Norwegian Football Association tells Nettavisen that they have had several cases that are of the same nature as Idas.
– Understand that you can create reactions.
They have then given advice on how to contact the police. But he points out that every club and sports team has a chance when unwanted people show up at games and events.
– The club can expel people from its facilities, but in practice it is demanding that those responsible are present at all times in case the person shows up, he says.
– This particular person has been convicted of years of abuse against a girl who was then between 12 and 15 years old. She is sure that she will commit further abuses. What does NFF think of him being part of the environment today?
– I cannot comment on this specific case. Today I was in talks with the Norwegian Sports Confederation about it, and they will respond to this, he says.
– There are probably many who react or panic when they find out that a convicted criminal is still very active in the football community in eastern Norway. What is the NFF’s message to them?
– We understand very well that these cases can generate reactions. However, NFF cannot have an overview of how active a particular person is in and around different club settings and how close relationships are created through work as a photographer, Lunde says.
He believes that the NFF’s opinion on the extent to which convicts should be allowed to be close to football activities “has little relevance.”
– These are conditions over which we have no control. It is the Norwegian authorities that decide to what extent prisoners should have access to sporting events, says Lunde.
YOU CAN DO LITTLE: Henrik Lunde from the Norwegian Football Association confirms it.
Photo: Trond Tandberg / NFF Press Photo
Per Tøien, sports policy advisor to the Norwegian Sports Confederation, confirms to Nettavisen that sports have no authority over people who are not members or perform sports tasks.
– And we don’t want any “private” company to come out and warn against people who have served their sentences. This is also in line with the advice that Kripos gives us. If the sports team receives a report of concern that a person in the environment has been convicted of sex crimes, we also encourage the sports team to have a conversation with this person, to make sure they are familiar with the sports rules and guidelines, he says Tøien.
But overall, he points out that the sport owns its own events.
– In recent times, there are examples of viewers being banned from the arenas for a long time for racist comments. We also have examples of sports teams that have denied access to people due to violence or sexual abuse. But, as I said, what one can or cannot do with people who are not members or perform tasks in the name of sport, is a demanding balance between various considerations. However, he believes that consideration for children always outweighs more.
– Don’t give me until it stops
Abuse victim Ida has long addressed both the sport and the police with an urgent prayer for her warnings to be taken seriously, but now feels even more helpless after reading the responses Nettavisen has received in this case. .
– At least I didn’t give up until this man was arrested. Now I know that neither the police nor the NFF will do anything, so you have to find other ways. In any case, I feel like it’s so desperate that even if I stop this man, this will still be a huge problem in the sport and it won’t be taken seriously. But I hope my case can help more people gain insight into how things really are, at least.
Here you can read all our cases in the article series on abuse in sport.
Do you need to report sexual abuse of yourself or others? Contact the police here .
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