What does it mean for the national team and the World Cup?
This may sound crazy, but what is happening in the NFF right now can actually affect whether Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard succeed in the World Cup.
The Norwegian Football Association has hired Freddy dos Santos as its new supporter coordinator. And yes – it may sound like a position no one cares about. But look a little deeper. The relationship between the NFF and Norwegian supporters is at its worst in many years. VAR row, stand conflicts, protests – the distrust is total. At the same time, Norway is facing a World Cup, with Ståle Solbakken under pressure and a national team that finally has the stars we have been waiting for for years.
Haaland. Ødegaard. A golden generation.
But world stars are of little help if there is chaos around the team.
Because unrest in the NFF is contagious. It is contagious to the players, to the atmosphere at Ullevaal and to the entire national team project. And this is where Freddy dos Santos comes in. A former elite series player – not a suit from the offices at Ullevaal. Someone who actually understands both the locker room and the stand culture.
The only question is this:
Does he have real power – or is he just sitting there to make noise while the NFF management continues as before?
If this is just PR, and the supporters still feel overwhelmed, all the energy around the national team can disappear. And then it doesn't help if Haaland scores goals for Manchester City or Ødegaard controls the midfield at Arsenal. Norway lives on small margins in championships. Then the atmosphere, support and unity mean more than people like to admit.
When players like Mbappé are on the opposite side of the pitch, the national team needs all of Ullevaal behind them. Not a football-Norway in perpetual quarrel – a vicious circle where everyone loses.
This is not just about fan culture, mistrust and fancy positions in the NFF.
This is about Norway's path forward in the World Cup .
