It’s been the iconic celebration of the World Cup – Norway fans simultaneously ‘rowing’ with their players in unison – but one supporter wants the ‘Viking Row’ stopped.
Emil Lappen went viral when television viewers spotted him sat completely still among an entire crowd all miming rowing after Norway beat Senegal earlier in the tournament.
And now, on the eve of their quarter-final against England in Miami, he has explained why: A ‘stupid, factual inaccuracy’.
During the chant, several fans wearing Viking helmets have been seen rowing in unison in bars, in the stands and even on public transport, to embrace the heritage of their seafaring Scandinavian forefathers.
The cheer has quickly gone viral, with Norwegian politicians also appearing to adopt it. But not everyone is a fan of the Viking Row.
Norway fan Emil Lappen says his team’s fan’s ‘Viking Row’ is ‘stupid’ and ‘factually wrong’
The Norwegian football fan refused to join in on his team’s viral Viking Row
Erling Haaland leads Norway’s players in their Viking Row after the win over Brazil
‘The Vikings sailed across the Atlantic, they didn’t row,’ Lappen told Sky News in a deadpan interview.
‘In a song that they released together with the rowing, they said “We’re gonna row across the Atlantic” and that’s why I’ve been so annoyed about it.
‘The Vikings rowed up rivers and things like that, but across the Atlantic they sailed.’
The choreographed chant sees Norway’s players gather tightly in a 10-row formation, facing their red-shirted supporters, shouting ‘Ro!’ while mimicking oarsmen.
‘Isn’t it all just a bit of fun?’ the Sky News presenter posed to Lappen.
‘You can say that but when they released it I found it stupid and I wanted to show that I didn’t appreciate it, and I think I got the message across,’ he said.
Lappen had been caught on camera sitting still and looking pensively into the distance, a stark contrast from his fellow jubilant supporters.
The Norway fan routine appears to have had a similar impact to the ‘thunder clap’ performed by Iceland’s fans at the European Championship in 2016, which resonated around the world and has since been used by many other sports teams.
Norway supporters have been showing off the World Cup’s most eye-catching cheer – The Viking Row – in support of their team
As well as sparking wonder for its breathtaking backdrop and creativity, it is also regarded by some as controversial for harking back to a time, in the 800s and 900s, when Norwegian Vikings conducted raids featuring looting and pillaging.
Before jetting across the Atlantic, the Norwegian team recently posed for a photo shot by British photographer David Yarrow, dressed as Vikings ready to conquer the World Cup.
The photoshoot sparked controversy with woke critics accusing them of backing ‘chauvinism’ and use of ‘neo-Nazi’ imagery due to the Vikings’ large-scale raiding, colonising, pillaging and raping throughout their dominant era.
But that hasn’t put Norway off as they continue to stay true to their roots.
