The football president intervenes in the national team conflict – NRK...

– It is certainly not positive that such a dialogue can take place in the media. We wish we had done this internally. It is important to get on a track where we find a sensible process and solve the case.

The president had an early meeting today with the leadership of the national team.

– A process has been started. The responsibility lies with the national team management to solve the case, says Svendsen to NRK.

Great controversy over the truth

It was yesterday that the national team manager sent out a press release, in which he said that Sørloth should have called the national team leadership incompetent in a dishwashing meeting after the Serbia conflict. Later that evening, Alexander Sørloth denied the allegations.

– I have never said that anyone in the coaching team is incompetent. Never, the striker replied via his agent Morten Wivestad to NTB.

Sørloth was also very critical of the national team sending out a press release about what was an internal meeting, and that it was stated in the press release from NFF that he would not comment on the matter.

– I always have our supporters of people who are honest, direct and clear. This time it was a little too obvious. So clear that they break their own principle of not taking internal issues with the press.

– Then you feel alone when you are actually supposed to be on a team, he continued.

The national team leadership quickly returned via its media manager Svein Graff.

– For four days we have given Alexander the opportunity to comment on what happened and confirm that we agreed to leave the case after he apologized for the behavior, it was in the response from national team coaches Lars Lagerbäck, Per Joar Hansen and Frode Grodås .

Have confidence in the parties

The president says he himself was not present in the dishwashing meeting after the match, but that he has confidence that the national team leadership will clean up.

– I reckon that there was a high temperature after the Serbia match, and that both coaches, players and support staff were disappointed. But I would like such things to be sorted out internally without us having a public debate and discussion of the various points of view.

When asked if this will have consequences for Sørloth, Svendsen answers this:

– It is not the task of the chairman of the board or the president to take out the team. I reckon that the process the national team leadership is now going into will hopefully be able to build down what now looks like a bit of a style front and is on a sensible path.

The national team manager regretted yesterday that he had referred to an earlier match against Cyprus in the discussion with Sørloth. In that fight, as is well known, the 24-year-old missed the open goal.

“You were not so cocky two years ago in Cyprus,” Lagerbäck is said to have said.

Svendsen emphasizes that he still has confidence in the national team manager.

– I have full confidence in Lars Lagerbäck. He is the coach. He is because he is a skilled trainer, Svendsen answers.

Solskjær believes the national team leadership is a disappointment

At a press conference before the Chelsea match on Saturday, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær also commented on the dispute over the national team.

– I do not want to comment on this case in particular, but a group and a team are like a family, and it is disappointing if things come out of the wardrobe and especially as it is true, says Solskjær to TV 2.

– There is a lot that has come out that is not true, but when it is confirmed from the inside and I am sure that the coach and the leadership of the national team is disappointed.