The Norwegian official who gained notoriety in soccer politics after she spoke out against World Cup host Qatar last year has applied to join UEFA’s executive committee. On Wednesday, the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) announced that Lise Klaveness. And one of the few women presidents of a national soccer federation would be running for election to the governing body’s decision-making board in Europe. Norway soccer leader confronted Qatar seeks top UEFA position
The application date for the female quota spot on UEFA’s 20-person executive committee is February 5. On April 5, the 55 UEFA member federations will vote at their annual meeting in Lisbon. Klaveness will join PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi on the UEFA board if elected.
Norway soccer leader confronted Qatar seeks top UEFA position
With Aleksander eferin’s support as president of UEFA, Al-position Khelafi’s as chairman of the European Club Association is crucial. Klaveness mentioned her meeting with eferin to discuss her candidacy in an interview with Norwegian radio NRK on Wednesday. When Klaveness made a speech in Qatar last March that was shocking by the norms of the meticulously scripted FIFA Congress, she had only been president of the NFF for a few weeks.
On the night of the draw for the World Cup finals competition, Klaveness, a judge and former national-team player who is also gay, called the attention of global soccer leaders from over 200 countries to Qatar’s record on migrant labour rights and prohibition of homosexuality. The president of Qatar’s World Cup organizing committee gave a fiery rebuttal in the congress hall after FIFA sought to persuade the Norwegian delegation not to give the address.
Later, in October, Klaveness accompanied FIFA to a Council of Europe meeting in Strasbourg, France, to advocate for a compensation fund for the families of workers killed or injured while constructing World Cup projects in Qatar.
No financial reserve is in place. Florence Hardouin, director general of the French soccer association, has held the women’s position on the UEFA executive committee since 2016, and she will be up for election this April. As part of broader probes into the management culture at the French federation, Hardouin was suspended from her position in Paris last week.
