Norwegian national coach defends calls for sharing child pornography, prosecuted attacker

Two years ago, when the Benfica attacker was still wearing the shirt of the Danish Nordsjælland, he forwarded the video in question. In an extensive statement on Instagram, Schjelderup responds to the lawsuit and admits his mistakes.

Benfica defender Tomas Araujo kicks a stopped penalty straight into his own goal

“Hello everyone, I want to be honest with you about a stupid mistake I made about two years ago,” Schjelderup begins. Instagram. “I was 19 at the time, and now I have to face the consequences of that mistake. I take full responsibility for what happened, but it is important to me that you also understand the context.”

“At that time I lived in Denmark,” he explains. “I received a short video and a few seconds later, without thinking, forwarded it to a friend. Unfortunately, at that moment I did not think about the consequences or realize that sharing it could be a criminal offense. I should have understood the seriousness of it, but I didn’t.”

“I made a mistake, and I am prepared to suffer the consequences. The crime for which I will be convicted does not reflect who I am or what I stand for as a person.” The 21-year-old winger also apologizes. “Do not watch or share harmful or disturbing content. It is illegal. I would like to apologize again and hope you can forgive me. I will do everything I can to make it right.”

National coach Ståle Solbakken

For national coach Ståle Solbakken, that is enough for the time being. He has called up Schjelderup for the final World Cup qualifying matches that should lead Norway to their first World Cup since 1998.

“He has done something very stupid and he knows it very well,” Solbakken said at a press conference. “He has put himself in a difficult situation, but he will participate in training and matches and be part of the selection. He will get the same opportunities as everyone else.”

“I have no doubt that this is the right thing,” the selector continued. “I spoke to him for quite some time on Friday evening, so we are quite confident that this is the right decision. There are no excuses for what he has done, but it is a mistake that was made in a split second and that he cannot correct in a minute.”