<\/p>\n
FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts (AP) \u2014 First it was their fans performing a synchronized \u201cViking row\u201d in the stands at matches.<\/p>\n
Then it was their players donning authentic Viking attire<\/a><\/span>, complete with weapons, shields and long boats, to the backdrop of a fjord for a moody, dramatic photo shoot.<\/p>\n \u201cA dream 28 years in the making… let\u2019s do this!\u201d Norway star Erling Haaland wrote on the X platform<\/a><\/span> Monday, reposting the photo of the team along with one of his father, Alfie Haaland, competing for the national team in the 1994 World Cup. <\/p>\n Norway is leaning into the country\u2019s centuries-old history as its star-studded men\u2019s team, containing Haaland and Martin Odegaard, heads into a first World Cup<\/a><\/span> in 28 years.<\/p>\n It has created plenty of excitement and debate.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an ask or a question from the (photographers),\u201d Norway manager Stale Solbakken said Monday in advance of his team\u2019s World Cup opener against Iraq. \u201cThe players wanted me to do it. They were positive. The federation was positive. And I was average positive. And then we did it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Norway fan routine sees lines of supporters, wearing Viking helmets and the team\u2019s red-and-blue jerseys, rowing in unison, forward and backward, to the steady beat of a drum.<\/p>\n Expect it to catch the eye at the World Cup in Norway\u2019s group games at Foxborough, Massachusetts<\/a><\/span> (against Iraq and France) and in New Jersey (against Senegal).<\/p>\n It could potentially have a similar impact to the \u201cthunder clap\u201d performed by Iceland\u2019s fans at the European Championship in 2016 that resonated around the world and has since been used by many other sports teams.<\/p>\n The Norwegian soccer federation commissioned British photographer David Yarrow to take the Viking snap, and he said in an interview with The Athletic he knew \u201cit might get some criticism.\u201d<\/p>\n Yarrow was right.<\/p>\n As well as sparking wonder for its breathtaking backdrop and creativity, it also is regarded by some as controversial for harking back to a time \u2014 in the 800s and 900s \u2014 when Norwegian Vikings conducted raids featuring looting and pillaging.<\/p>\n One commentator, Markus Slettholm from daily paper Morgenbladet, said the photo was chauvinistic and \u201ca bit reminiscent of what neo-Nazis were concerned with 10 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Solbakken doesn\u2019t see the fuss.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are many bigger and more difficult topics,\u201d he said before the World Cup. \u201cI can\u2019t afford to waste time on that.\u201d<\/p>\n Yarrow previously worked with Haaland in a solo photo shoot.<\/p>\n The BBC reported that sales of the Viking-themed team photo will raise funds for Norwegian charities.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Douglas reported from Sundsvall, Sweden.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n AP World Cup coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nIt could be the new \u201cthunder clap\u201d<\/h2>\n
One critic says the photo is \u201cchauvinistic\u201d<\/h2>\n