Norway’s football federation said it will donate profits from its Oct. 11 World Cup qualifier against Israel to humanitarian aid for Gaza, declaring it “cannot remain indifferent” to the suffering there.
"Neither we nor other organizations can remain indifferent to the humanitarian suffering and disproportionate attacks that the civilian population in Gaza has been subjected to for a long time,” Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness said in a statement Tuesday.
"We want to donate the proceeds to a humanitarian organization that saves lives in Gaza every day and provides active emergency aid on the ground,” she said.
It wasn't immediately clear how much the Norwegian federation expected to earn through ticket sales for the match, which begins next week.
In a statement first published by British daily The Telegraph, the Israeli federation called on the Norwegians to "make sure that the money is not transferred to terrorist organizations or to whale hunting,” referring to an issue Norway has faced global criticism for.
The Norwegian federation said it is working with UEFA and local police on security arrangements for the Oct. 11 game. Extra security is expected to limit capacity by up to 3,000 tickets, the federation said. Ullevaal Stadium typically has crowds of 26,000 for national-team games.
Israel has been unable to host games in international competitions for security reasons since October 2023. It staged its "home” qualifying game against Norway in Hungary. Norway won that game 4-2 in March.
Norway currently tops the five-nation qualifying group ahead of Israel.
Israel’s genocidal attacks on Gaza killed over 62,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since October 2023. The blockaded Palestinian enclave has faced relentless Israeli bombardment, a crippling blockade and severe shortages of food, water, fuel and medical supplies, prompting repeated warnings from the U.N. and aid groups of famine and a humanitarian catastrophe.
The dire humanitarian situation in Gaza has drawn growing responses from the international sports community, with athletes, fans and federations voicing solidarity with Palestinians amid mounting civilian casualties. Rights groups and U.N. agencies have warned of famine, a collapsing health system and unprecedented humanitarian suffering in the blockaded enclave.
