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– I feel like Raja is turning abruptly. He has hidden that he is following the advice of the health authorities to wait to open the best football. When the National Institute of Public Health has approved the contagion protection program for soccer, I see no reason to stop. In this case, Raja looks more like a clown than a sports minister, Njåstad tells Dagbladet.
Njåstad points to FHI, among other VGs, saying they believe the most important football activity can start again, “as long as the contingency plan of the Norwegian Football Association is followed.”
The Minister of Culture and Sports Raja responds to the statements made by the Frp politician.
– Njåstad draws an image that I do not recognize at all, says Raja to Dagbladet.
Raja fears losing control over the crown pandemic if it is not done correctly.
– We have now invested heavily in controlling the pandemic. So we cannot let a single sector decide what to open. We have to do it responsibly. Not that it prompts my decisions and is slow. We must make a politically unified decision where all considerations count, he says.
Threats to Storting
For Dagbladet Njåstad further says:
– Yes, we must first think about life and health. But now health authorities say it is okay to play top-tier soccer. Soccer has worked to make a good infection control program. This has also been good for FHI. When Raja says that we will wait and see, it is incredible. We need to be more active, says Njåstad.
Raja wants to do some things for Njåstad.
– The Norwegian Football Association has created an elaborate concept to reopen the elite series. The government as a university must take a general position as we now work systematically to reopen society. You cannot open all areas of society at once, and we must gradually reopen while maintaining control over the infection. And we have said in several rounds that this decision will come in two days, now on Thursday,
Raja notes here that the government has announced that it will now conduct updated evaluations of measures related to organized sports and sporting events.
Njåstad believes that Raja now has only one thing to do when he and his colleagues present the new government guidelines in two days:
– Raja must surrender now. Stop being so stubborn and square, it is my advice.
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Njåstad’s main point is that he thinks that the best football should be treated as a member of the business community.
– Top football is an industry player with great value creation who employs a large number of people in Norway. We should not compromise on that. The best football is not just fun and fun. We cannot simply watch sports here. It’s about taking care of an entire industry and taking care of jobs, he says.
Einar Håndlykken in Odd is one of the top club leaders who has criticized Raja and the Ministry of Culture for “not understanding how the club operation works,” according to VG.
– Do you recognize the best footballer as a business player, Raja?
– Higher football is definitely a business activity. Like many other actors and industries, they are strongly influenced by the crown pandemic. But soccer is also more than business and superior soccer. Soccer is Norway’s largest leisure activity for children and young people. As Minister of Culture and Sports, I am concerned about all sport and all football again has the opportunity to participate in activities, says the Minister of Culture to Dagbladet.
The Frp Njåstad summit, meanwhile, threatens Storting to intervene to reopen Norway’s most important football. He wants most Storting to take steps to start the activity, according to Frifagbevegelse.no.
– When we also see that FHI approves the scheme for soccer, it is only about symbols. If Raja doesn’t interrupt, the result could quickly be that the parliamentary majority will do it for him, Njåstad says there.
– Prestige bag
For Dagbladet, Njåstad elaborates, and launches a reason why the government and Raja are holding back:
– There seems to be a majority in Storting to gently reopen the ball. Raja and the government no longer have arguments. It just seems that prestige has entered the matter. Raja may not want to give Trond Giske this victory, Njåstad speculates, and continues:
– It cannot be the case that because Trond Giske entered the field and created a circus around the case, the government should comply with its point of view. He believes this case is too important for it to be a political game.
Njåstad’s last move is on Trond Giske, Aps sports policy spokesman, and he said out loud that he wants to start playing soccer again. Giske has called for political will and government action to do so.
– good routines
To these Njåstad claims, Raja replies:
– Njåstad has misunderstood that the decision is mine alone as Minister of Culture. We decided together on the sectors that we are reopening as a government. Of course, I am a driving force for my field, and we must all take a holistic approach, says the Minister.
Trond Giske asked Raja the following written questions in late April:
“What will the government do to help ensure that this year’s best soccer season can be implemented to the maximum extent possible, within the limits set by audience restrictions?”
Giske justified his point of view for Aftenposten in the following way:
– The best clubs are surrounded by health professionals, such as doctors and other experts. They have good routines for the most part, like diet and exercise principles. If they can’t make a sound plan, nobody can.
“Find a solution, get started,” Giske told Aftenposten.
Raja has not yet replied in writing to this work, but he generally says this to Dagbladet:
– It is not just football, I am the Minister of Sports. This is what I do for the Swimming Federation and the Handball Association and all other sports and federations in Norway. This is top-tier soccer, but it is much more. These are the 11,000 small teams and associations in Norway that are part of the great sports movement we all love. We should see it in general.
He quoted the pope
It was the Frp Njåstad summit that really started the political debate on the subject. On April 22, he asked the Minister of Sports, Raja, a written question. He asked briefly if the Minister of Culture will take the initiative with football, to ensure that the 2020 season can start soon without the presence of the public.
In the question, he even quoted the Pope: “‘Of all the unimportant things in the world, soccer is the most important,'” Pope John Paul II rightly said.
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For Dagbladet, Njåstad says that we should not underestimate the value that sports have in human life.
– People need a circus. Dating back to Roman times, when emperors gave people bread and circuses to satisfy them, that entertainment has been essential for people. This is not the most important thing, but it should also be included in this evaluation, says Njåstad.
In his response, Raja noted that the government decided to extend the ban on events of more than 500 people until September 1.
“It makes it impossible to hold elite football matches with the public during this period,” concludes the Minister of Sports.
– The consideration of life and health.
However, Raja points out that there is a good dialogue between the Norwegian Sports Federation, the Norwegian Football Association, the health authorities and the government. There should also have been some gathering activity between the players in the case.
“Even with such a ban, one must consider whether and how the training and wrestling activity within football can begin again.”, writes Raja.
Raja also emphasizes that he thinks that the model proposed by the Football Association is very elaborate and that it is carefully considered by the health authorities and the government. But he still realizes the fact that it is too early for top football to open the doors.
“I would like to emphasize that the importance of life and health in the population is paramount, and that all organized sports in the future must be carried out within the framework of the contagion rules.” he writes.
Refers to Arne Scheie
Finally, in Raja’s reply, he himself returned to the Pope. And to Arne Scheie:
“Representative Njåstad quotes Pope John Paul II as saying, ‘Of all the unimportant things in the world, football is the most important.’ To that end, I would like to point out what comment legend Arne Scheie said to Nettavisen on March 26. “
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Scheie should have said, Raja notes, that he believes it is a dramatic situation when all football is canceled, but emphasized that “life and health are paramount, and even for me, football is inferior during this period. “
“I think Representative Njåstad would agree with me that when Arne Scheie says that something is more important than football, it probably is.” Raja concludes.
Njåstad is not happy about this. In addition, he notes that the top soccer ball has not only been hit directly by the soccer cap, but many in the surrounding apparatus are affected.
– Football bleeds out there. They must go back to work, says Njåstad.
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Meet today
Meanwhile, the sport’s own bodies also continue to put pressure on the government to start the best football.
This morning, Raja met with the president of sports, Berit Kjøll, with the president of football, Terje Svendsen, and with three other important Norwegian unions.
Raja said at a press conference in connection with the meeting that this weekend he held a circular round to several of Norway’s best football clubs.
– The response I received from them was that they are confident that the government is doing responsible work with this. They were clear that they did not want to sneak in, but that football sees itself as part of the community, Raja said.
Raja believes that top football has created a good concept of infection prevention that makes it easier for the government to make a two-day decision. But he repeats the following to Dagbladet:
– The government must think of a whole. Although a limited area can be implemented within infection control rules, we must consider the overall impact of various measures.
Soccer’s goal is to start again in the two main divisions starting June 15. To top it off, the best footballers believe they should be in full training from May 10.
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