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Erling Haaland and his Norway team-mates have been accused of ‘chauvinism’ and ‘neo-Nazi’ imagery after their World Cup photoshoot.
The Man City striker and the group heading to the US were styled as Vikings on a beach in Oslo in the extraordinary shots.
But the response to their creative send-off has split opinion in Norway, with critics arguing against the Viking aesthetic given certain connotations attached.
The images were ‘chauvinistic and exclusionary’, according to journalist Markus Slettholm of the newspaper Morgenbladet.
And he went even further in an interview with NRK, saying it is ‘reminiscent of what neo-Nazis were concerned about ten years ago.’
Jane Haug Skjoldli, a researcher and Norwegian academic recently argued that the Norway kits for the World Cup could be seen as ‘hyper-masculine and right-wing extremist’, when speaking to Klassekampen.
Erling Haaland poses with Viking gear on for the photoshoot prior to Norway heading to the World Cup
The squad were pictured on the edge of a beach in Oslo for the remarkable photos
The shirts have rune-like writing on the back and Skjoldli said elements of it are ‘unfortunate and typical of neo-Nazi and fascist symbolic language’.
Norway’s kit and now photoshoot have added fuel to the fire for those critics.
The debate has caused such a stir that Norway manager Stale Solbakken was even asked about it at a press conference.
He was keen to dismiss the furore out of hand, saying: ‘There are many bigger and more difficult topics than that. I can’t afford to waste time on that.’
The photos of the squad holding shields, bows and arrows and axes with long boats in the background was the brainchild of the Norwegian FA.
Norway fans have performed the synchronised ‘Viking row’ in recent games, similar to the Icelandic clap.
And there’s a trend to lean into the nation’s history. The Norwegian FA commissioned Scottish photographer David Yarrow for the shoot on Haaland’s recommendation after the prolific forward worked with him on a themed shoot of his own.
The photographer told the Athletic that he’d anticipated some of the criticism that was directed at the final photos, saying: ‘I like to take people outside of how they’re normally photographed.
Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard stood alongside Haaland for the photoshoot
‘I knew it might get some criticism, but I wanted to play on that sense of journey that goes back to the Vikings, as if they’re setting sail for America.
‘Then it was just a question of doing it right. If you do it in a half hearted way or in a studio it can fall flat but we really went for it.
‘We got the boats in, got everyone dressed in proper Viking gear and not pantomime stuff.’
Haaland wore his hair down and Antonio Nusa, who has his dyed peroxide blond, wore a helmet to cover it up in the name of realism.
The wooden jetty in the photos was specially constructed for the shoot and taken down afterwards.
The whole process was captured and posted by the governing body on their Instagram page, with a generally positive reaction from fans in the comments.
The Norwegian FA are keen to explain that the idea is not about shrinking what the team represents to an old stereotype but put on a show of unity ahead of the tournament.
The group appeared to buy into the photoshoot and will soon embark on their own Viking raid at the fourth World Cup in their history.
Haaland and Co share a group with France, Senegal and Iraq in what looks on paper to be the toughest of the tournament.
But with Haaland, Martin Odegaard and Nusa, the golden generation of Norwegian football will have high hopes of making their mark in the knockout stages.
