Football matches are not usually places where I would look for like-minded people. But watching a televised debate on Norway’s proposed boycott of FIFA’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar has completely changed my mind.
There are two things that the typical Italian loves to argue about: football and politics. Despite being an Italian living in Norway, I must admit I’m not really into the former, yet I was still planning on watching the Italy-Wales Euro 2020 game on 20 June. But I almost missed it due to a far more enthralling spectator sport involving Norway’s football federation.
That Sunday, Norway’s public news channel broadcast an extraordinary congress of the football federation on whether or not the national football team should boycott the 2022 event. The grassroots engagement was astonishing, and the debate went on for hours. As forecast by several commentators, the federation’s proposal of pursuing a softer approach won the majority of votes. The proposed boycott was voted down by 362 to 121.
