Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard are caught up in a scandal that has outraged the Norway national team after leaked private messages were published in a new book.
Norway may have Manchester City striker Haaland and Arsenal captain Odegaard in their ranks but the country has not reached a major tournament since Euro 2000. In a bid to succeed in the Nations League, a new book titled ‘The Battle of the National Team’ has alleged that there were deliberate attempts to mislead Norwegian health authorities after finding an ‘ethically questionable loophole’ during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A chapter named ‘The Doctor’s Lie’ explained that Norway’s plans were thrown into disarray after then-Galatasaray defender Omar Elabdellaoui tested positive for Covid-19 in November 2020. It is alleged that team doctor Asle B. Kjellsen allowed 19 Norwegian players, including Haaland and Odegaard, to travel to their match against Romania from overseas, rather than on the same flight from Oslo, after realising that Norway’s laws did not apply to foreign athletes.
This would have meant former Real Madrid midfielder Odegaard travelling to the game from Madrid, while ex-Borussia Dortmund forward Haaland flying from Germany. However, there has been further uproar from within the Norway camp after the book included private messages between Haaland and Odegaard.
