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MATCH CANCELED: Norway was supposed to play Israel on Wednesday afternoon, but the match was canceled. Now the NFF wants to reimburse Israel’s travel expenses. Photo: Bjørn S. Delebekk
The Israel Football Association will not sue the Norwegian Football Association for cancellation of the international match between the teams. Both parties are now in dialogue and will find a solution.
– We talk to each other every hour and we are finding a good solution, says the communications director of the Israel Football Association, Shlomi Barzel, in an interview with VG. He says the unions now have a good dialogue on the situation.
On Tuesday morning, it was revealed that one of the Israeli team’s players, Mu’nas Dabbur, had tested positive for the corona virus. According to the Israeli team, he brought with him the infection of his German club Hoffenheim. Later, the club picked him up on a private plane and transported him out of Norway.
The NFF later confirmed that the match should go as planned.
On Wednesday morning, however, the message from the counter arrived and the match was canceled just hours before it was to be played.
Barzel himself is in Norway with the team, and says they were very surprised when the match was canceled, because the Norwegian association had confirmed shortly before that the match would go as planned. UEFA is also said to have been very surprised by the cancellation, according to Barzel.
– No one told us that there was ever a possibility that the match would be canceled. We only came here because the Norwegian association confirmed that it was going to be played and that it was fine. UEFA’s protocol is set up to ensure it is implemented safely. There was no reason to cancel this. We are not a complete layer of infection roaming Norwegian soil, says Barzel.
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Dagbladet reported early Wednesday that the Israeli federation would sue the NFF, based on statements by the Israeli media.
Barzel confirms that they will demand that NFF reimburse the expenses it has incurred in the trip to Norway, but rejects that they sue the Norwegian association.
– No, the unions do not run and sue each other. We are in dialogue and we have not expressed a specific sum. We want to be honest and humble, and we just want to get back what we are entitled to, Barzel believes.
HE WILL COVER THE COSTS: NFF General Secretary Pål Bjerketvedt will cover Israel’s travel expenses. Photo: Frode Hansen
NFF has offered compensation
Dagbladet reported early Wednesday that the Israeli federation would sue the NFF, based on statements by the Israeli media.
Barzel confirms that they will demand that NFF reimburse the expenses it has incurred in the trip to Norway, but rejects that they sue the Norwegian association.
– No, unions do not sue each other. We are in dialogue and we have not expressed a specific sum. We want to be honest and humble, and we just want to get back what we are entitled to, Barzel believes.
NFF Secretary General Pål Bjerketvedt confirms that there is now a dialogue between the parties.
– Today I had two contacts with the General Secretary of the Israel Football Association. I was very disappointed and upset, but we had a good conversation this afternoon, Bjerketvedt tells VG.
He also says that the NFF has now proposed a possible solution.
– We have offered to cover travel expenses to Israel. It is correct and real to do so, says Bjerketvedt.
The NFF has an agreement with the European association, which grants them a sum of money to play 40 games over four years, but the association denies that there are financial reasons for holding the match.
– It is not the case that the money follows every match of the tournaments, we are required to play 40 international matches during a four-year contract period. If a match disappears like now, it can be compensated with another match later. It is not a shortening problem. It has nothing to do with finances. It’s a mandatory UEFA match with the Nations League structure, says Bjerketvedt.
