By Philip O’Connor
(Reuters) -Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness is looking forward to meeting her counterpart from Israel ahead of their World Cup qualifier on Saturday following the announcement of a peace deal between Israel and Hamas, she told Reuters.
The two governing bodies were at odds after the Norwegian FA said in August it would donate profits from ticket sales from Saturday’s Group I game to support the work of Doctors Without Borders in Gaza, prompting criticism from the Israelis.
“I always meet other football presidents before we play games. I’m very much into dialogue and the more difficult it gets, the more important (it) is that we meet, even if it’s difficult,” Klaveness said in an interview on Friday.
Israel’s FA criticised the ticket money move at the time, saying: “It would be nice if some of the amount were directed to try to finding a condemnation by the Norwegian FA of the October 7 massacre that claimed the lives of hundreds of Israeli citizens and children.”
Israel attacked Gaza after a Hamas-led attack in 2023 in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Palestinian health authorities say Israel’s two-year ground and air campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 67,000 people, with nearly a third of the dead under the age of 18.
Israel’s government ratified a ceasefire with Hamas in the early hours of Friday morning, clearing the way to suspend hostilities in Gaza within 24 hours and free Israeli hostages held there within 72 hours after that.
“We are, of course, extremely happy, on behalf of the involved parties in the whole world that there is a ceasefire,” Klaveness said. “Football is nothing compared to peace, and now the bombs can stop over Gaza, and that hostages can come home,”
“That’s very important, and I think it’s very important now that all of us, football leaders and leaders in all big organisations, now give this peace plan energy and momentum.
“We all know it’s a long way to sustainable peace, but it’s everyone’s responsibility to give it energy and momentum.”
The Norwegian FA has worked closely with police in Oslo on security matters around the game and Klaveness, a 44-year-old mother of three who played for her country at two Women’s World Cups, said she hoped Israeli fans would feel safe attending.
“They are warmly welcome, and nothing that we say or state should ever be interpreted as directed towards them or that we don’t feel sympathy for what they’ve gone through with this horrific trauma of October 7th 2023,” she said.
“When we say something about condemning the attack on Gaza, it does not mean that we condemn the attack on their people any less.”
Norway’s men’s team, who have not qualified for the World Cup since 1998, top the five-team group on 15 points, six ahead of third-placed Israel, who are behind Italy on goal difference.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Ken Ferris)
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