“I was relieved. But also lonely« (nd-aktuell.de)

In your widely acclaimed speech at the congress of the world governing body Fifa, you talked about your footballing dreams as a 13-year-old. What would teenage Lise say about the state of world football today?

When I was 13, the only thing that interested me in football was the ball. But I also wanted to understand the world outside of football, I was afraid of wars, and I was concerned with equality and children’s rights. As an adult I have come to understand more and more the power of football as a movement. For example, drawing up rules that apply worldwide is fascinating. It is all the more important that such a movement is led by balancing and ethical forces with a healthy understanding of power.

Did you want to express that in your speech?

Yes. It is extremely important that the football field is open to all: conservatives and leftists, communists and capitalists. Only the game should count on the pitch. At the same time, you can’t just say that football and politics aren’t related – everything is politics. And because so much money is involved, football even becomes high politics. That requires that we all have to work for democracy in sport if football is to survive.

What exactly are you asking for?

We need a democratic debate about what we want and don’t want. We see that in ideas like the Super League, this hyper-capitalism of the past few years, but it’s not about assigning blame. We also see that Vladimir Putin uses football. Many state leaders do that, but he does it more than others. Much is at stake, and urgent! The countries that agree with us must stand together, act and fight for the values ​​that should govern football.

Before your speech you were advised to hold back. Why did you speak anyway?

I’ve been active in football all my adult life: as a player, commentator, federation director. It also remained my hobby when I was a lawyer and judge. During that time I experienced many changes, some for the better. But the big lines – the Super League, the game calendar, the power struggle between the associations or within Fifa, the political influence, the sports washing: All of this tells me that we can’t lose any more time. Increasingly louder and more organized, our fans and members are calling for change, and we need to listen. Especially in the year of a World Cup that must not cast even more dark shadows on football. We have to do everything we can to ensure that we don’t end up in the situation we are in now.

You also called for far-reaching changes in your speech. What were the reactions when you left the stage?

I was relieved myself, but also a bit lonely. Those sitting around me seemed uninterested and looked away. Nothing came. I was prepared for that, but I had never experienced anything like it before. Later I got nice feedback, from many other countries and at home. Then the loneliness disappeared again, which encouraged me to act now, because that is the most important thing.

What was the feedback from Germany and from the new DFB President Bernd Neuendorf?

I met Bernd and Heike Ullrich (DFB general secretary, editor’s note) in Doha, they expressed their support and warmth. When I came back to Norway, the German Football Association was the first association to call me and ask for a detailed discussion. I am very grateful for that. Germany is a great soccer nation that we look up to and that’s going to be at the World Cup. It is very important that we support those teams that are going to the World Cup with our initiative. Also so that the players can concentrate on their games. You should be free. It is all the more important that we, as association leaders, live up to our responsibility and lead politically.

How do you want to improve the situation in Qatar together?

We have to get specific quickly because there’s only a little time left until the World Cup. We must follow the advice of independent organizations, not slavishly and uncritically, of course, but knowledgeably. A contact point for migrant workers would be important. Symbolically, but also because the rules are hollow if you don’t introduce control mechanisms for them. The workers must feel that they can exercise their rights. You need a safe haven with legal help.

They also talked about minority rights.

This is incredibly important. When awarding a World Cup to countries that have bans against the LGBTQ+ lifestyle, football must ensure that all fans and players have access to the tournament. It’s not like that at the moment. Tickets are already being sold, but the bans are still in place. We must ensure that these prohibition laws are suspended during the World Cup and that this is also communicated. All people must be able to go there knowing that they will not be arrested for what is their right.

What about the construction workers?

We need to investigate the death toll. The figure of 6,500 dead workers circulating after the Guardian report is misleading because it is the cumulative number of all foreign workers dead in Qatar over ten years. But they died only partially during the construction of the stadium. Nevertheless, the number is circulating because we have no reasonable investigations as to which is correct for the World Cup. We need that, also to compensate the bereaved for what happened under the responsibility of football.

Do you take a critical view of the planned re-election of Fifa President Gianni Infantino next year?

My speech was not directed against Infantino or against Hassan Al-Thawadi, head of World Cup organization, it was independent of any person. I wanted a call to action. To Fifa, but also to Uefa here in Europe, to Norway, Germany and other associations. It is important that this debate continues openly and that Infantino participates. I was allowed to speak at the congress, I respect Fifa for that because they knew I would be critical.

Isn’t it finally time for a FIFA President?

I think it’s very important to get women into leadership positions everywhere in international sport. That gives young girls role models. But my speech had nothing to do with the presidential election, I didn’t think about that for a second.

What do you think of the new awarding process for world championships?

It’s good that we no longer have a closed circle of 22 people without transparency who decide who hosts the World Cup, as was the case with Russia and Qatar. Now it is a fully democratic process. But it is problematic that Fifa’s advisory human rights body has been dissolved. This was supposed to become a subcommittee, which never happened. It would be important to have an independent human rights committee right before the World Cup in Qatar that could give Fifa feedback. The fact that this does not exist is problematic and difficult to understand.

What does that mean for the future?

In order for the democratic process at Fifa congresses to really work, professional control structures are needed. It is incredibly important to ensure that decisions are taken in accordance with ethical standards and that the host nations comply with human rights requirements. I think it’s good that we don’t only play in western countries. But if we give tournaments to countries that have big problems with corruption or equality and don’t have the necessary infrastructure, then we need more time and real standards that we have to agree on beforehand. SID/nd