Protests against VAR in Norway took a drastic, and frankly bizarre, twist at the weekend during a an Eliteserien game. Rosenborg BK hosted Lillestrom on Sunday in a match between two mid-table teams. The incidents in the game happened straight from kickoff. Fans launched objects onto the pitch out of frustration with VAR. Although there were no incidents in this game that demanded VAR, Norway has a known disdain for VAR in the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/top-soccer-leagues-in-the-world/">Eliteserien</a>. This game was merely a vehicle to voice that frustration with things like tennis balls, smoke bombs and even fish cakes. 



After just two minutes of dealing with fans throwing things on the pitch, the referee for the game between Rosenborg and Lillestrom sent the players to the changing room. The match eventually restarted, but things only seemed to get worse. Those in attendance continued to throw things onto the pitch to send their message about VAR. By the 30-minute mark, the referee had seen enough. Rohit Saggi, the official working the contest, said the game could not continue because of the state of the pitch. Smoke bombs blocked any form of consistent viewing. Additionally, the fish cakes did no favors for the quality of the contest. 



Saggi went on to say that it is “sad for football” that this had to happen. Likewise, coaches for both Rosenborg and Lillestrom were disappointed in the actions of the fans on Sunday. 



“It’s crazy. We are all here to play football, we are not allowed to do that,” Rosenborg manager Alfred Johansson <a href="https://www.nrk.no/sport/kampen-stoppet-_-kastet-fiskekaker-pa-banen-1.16972720" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said after the delayed game</a>. “We understand that they have their point of view and attitudes, but we are primarily upset that we don’t get to play our game.”



Players echoed the feeling, citing the contest as a waste of time following their week of training.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240722_WST_517795_Rosenborg-BK-VAR-protest-1200x675_70185680.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-517799" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/07/Rosenborg-BK-VAR-protest-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/07/Rosenborg-BK-VAR-protest-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/07/Rosenborg-BK-VAR-protest-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/07/Rosenborg-BK-VAR-protest-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/07/Rosenborg-BK-VAR-protest.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<h2>Norway debates effectiveness of VAR protests</h2>



This may have been a Rosenborg home game, but it was both fans to voice their frustration with VAR. For example, Lillestrom fans waited around after the game to chant about how much they hate VAR. Lillestrom supporters’ group Kanarifansen said it was satisfied with the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/cologne-set-to-protest-over-controversial-var-goal-20170918-CMS-221408.html">effectiveness of the protests</a>. “I see it as a victory for those who want to abolish VAR, we get the attention we want,” Joacim Møller, the head of Kanarifansen, said.



Debate remains as to how effective this form of protest is. In Norway, fan groups have long criticizes the time it takes for <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/is-var-creating-more-controversy-than-it-was-designed-to-avoid-20240303-WST-492792.html">VAR reviews</a> to happen. The game loses its energy and flow while referees go to look at a screen for a few minutes. Yet, the same thing happened as a result of these protests. Some groups, including the referees and the players, may say these protests have largely the same impact as VAR in the sense that they slow the game down.



However, there have been incidents that show the effectiveness of fan groups. In Sweden, the top leagues opted against using VAR because clubs voiced opposition to the notion. Perhaps the supporters in Norway see that as the ideal form of getting VAR removed. 



PHOTOS: IMAGO

Fans who want VAR abolished in Norway suspend game

Protests against VAR in Norway took a drastic, and frankly bizarre, twist at the weekend during a an Eliteserien game.

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In a groundbreaking new deal, ELEVEN and OneFootball won the international broadcasting rights to a number of European soccer leagues.
The Association of European Professional Leagues, simply known as European Leagues, brokered a deal for nine leagues.
Now, live matches, highlights and some editorial work will appear on ELEVEN and OneFootball platforms.
<h3>Nine Leagues in the Deal</h3>
For those interested in what leagues the two platforms have access to, the leagues are not the top tier. Yet, sides consistently emerge into the Champions League, Europa League and now Conference League.
The nine leagues include some that everyone knows. For example, the Swiss Super League, Polish Ekstraklasa, Danish Superliga and the Northern Ireland Premiership are all part of the deal.
Even then, worldwide fans now have the opportunity to watch some leagues that are less popular internationally. For instance, the top leagues in Iceland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Norway and Slovakia round out the nine teams in the deal.
As stated previously, these leagues do not carry teams that will go on to win the Champions League. For that reason, international fans may simply cast these leagues aside.
However, everyone loves an underdog in European competition. Just this season alone, these leagues provide teams that compete closely against top-tier opposition.
For example, ELEVEN and OneFootball now have the rights to the Swiss Super League. Young Boys, playing out of Bern, Switzerland, dramatically <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2021/09/14/young-boys-strike-late-to-stun-ronaldos-man-utd-in-champions-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">defeated Manchester United</a> in the first game of this season’s Champions League.
Similarly, Legia Warsaw out of the Polish <a href="https:\/\/www.soccerstats.com/latest.asp?league=poland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ekstraklasa</a> sits in 15th in the league table. Despite domestic struggles, the team tops their Europa League group against Leicester City and Napoli, who sit top of Serie A.
Essentially, there are always storylines developing. This new deal between European Leagues, ELEVEN and OneFootball allows you to see these sleeper teams in action each week.
<h3>ELEVEN and OneFootball</h3>
These two providers focus on allowing broadcast access to smaller teams and leagues. As is the case with the aforementioned leagues, the nine competitions coming to ELEVEN and OneFootball fit that mold.
Still, it is important to note that not every league is simply available via these two. For instance, the new rights are only for the international broadcasts. This means that audiences in Iceland will use a different provider to watch Icelandic Top Football.
Additionally, some local rights still take precedence. In certain Nordic countries, the rights still belong to other providers. For example, the Norwegian Eliteserien and the Danish Superliga will not use ELEVEN and OneFootball in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Rather, there are different providers in that region that hold those international rights.
For those unaware of ELEVEN and OneFootball, much of the content is free via the two companies’ platforms. OneFootball is only an app or <a href="https:\/\/onefootball.com/en/matches" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>. All of the live broadcasts airing on the app or website are free of charge.
On the other hand, ELEVEN actually has a set of linear channels accessible via <a href="https:\/\/www.fubo.tv/channel/99285/eleven-sports-network" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some providers</a>. Additionally, there is <a href="https:\/\/elevensports.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a website</a> that has an array of leagues. Now, that selection widens with nine newcomers.
Coverage of these domestic games starts this weekend. Games from the Solvak Fortuna Liga, Norwegian Eliteserien and Swiss Super League are just some of the leagues to watch.

In a landmark deal, ELEVEN and OneFootball struck a deal with European Leagues to be the international broadcaster for nine leagues.

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