Why Norway’s Viking row is irritating Scandinavia | OneFootball

Norway’s Viking row, a fans’ routine mimicking longship oars, has become one of the World Cup’s viral images, delighting some and grating in Sweden and Denmark. It also reflects Norway’s new status before France face Norway.

Since the tournament began, Norway have celebrated wins by rowing in the stands, at Times Square, outside Oslo’s royal palace, and on the pitch after beating Senegal 3-2, 28 years after their last appearance. In Denmark, B.T. columnist Johnny Wojciech Kokborg has likened the routine to near adult Nordic harassment, capturing a feeling that Norway are mocking them.

In Sweden, Gustaf Lagerbielke and Elliot Stroud have poked fun at what they see as an overused, camera-chasing celebration, and one that echoes Iceland’s famous clap.

Norwegian journalists, meanwhile, have framed the backlash as jealousy, arguing Swedes and Danes are extremely envious, not only of Norway’s footballing momentum but of the country itself.

The irritation also taps into history. Norway were long the junior partner in Scandinavian football, a nation of skiing and oil rather than World Cup pedigree, having been in union with Denmark until 1814 and Sweden until 1905.

Now they arrive with Erling Haaland, Martin Odegaard, two wins from two, and a celebration that has become one of this World Cup’s defining early images.

Source: L'Équipe