Erling Haaland takes Norwegian airline to court over World Cup campaign

Haaland's lawyer, Thomas Hagen of law firm Schjodt, confirmed that a lawsuit had been filed on behalf of the Manchester City striker and York Promotions Ltd.

"We can confirm that, on behalf of York Promotions Ltd. and Erling Braut Haaland, we have filed a lawsuit against Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA," Hagen told VG.

The case centres on what Haaland's legal team describes as the "unlawful use" of his identity and brand in Norwegian's marketing of flight tickets during the World Cup.

Details of the lawsuit have not been made public, but Norwegian has removed several social media posts featuring Haaland.

One post showed a Norwegian aircraft with Haaland's distinctive former blonde hairstyle, including his trademark ponytail, edited onto the plane. It was accompanied by the message: "We've never looked more Norwegian."

The image was also shared on TikTok before being removed.

Norwegian has confirmed receiving the lawsuit but said it was surprised by the legal action.

"It is true that we have received a lawsuit that we find baffling," Norwegian press spokesman Eivind Hammer Myhre told VG.

Myhre said the airline was among those supporting Norway's national team and argued that the posts were part of a wider social media trend.

"Like almost all of Norway, we joined in cheering for the national team this summer through a few spontaneous posts based on social media trends," he said.

"It is unfortunate that these cheers have been met with a lawsuit, but we hope for a sensible dialogue so that we may continue to cheer for our shared sports heroes in the future."

Haaland's legal team has not commented further on the case.

Norway face Wales in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday, October 1, at Cardiff City Stadium.