Qatar 2022: Norway rules out boycotting football world cup

Delegates at extraordinary congress called by the Norwegian Football Federation vote for motion rejecting boycott of the event.

Norway’s football federation has ruled out boycotting the 2022 World Cup in Qatar despite pressure from its grassroots over accusations of human rights abuses of migrant workers in the Gulf state. At an extraordinary congress called by the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) on Sunday, 368 delegates voted for a motion rejecting a boycott while 121 were in favour. In the run-up to the vote, Ole Kristian Sandvik, spokesman of the Norwegian Supporters Alliance (NSA), said the matches in Qatar will “unfortunately be like playing on a cemetery”, a term commonly used by opponents of Norway’s participation.