Swedish columnist: I won't root for Norway in tonight's match

Johanna Fränden, a columnist for Dagens Nyheter, argues against the notion that Swedes should universally support Norway in international sports. She recounts an embarrassing encounter where a Scot reacted with disbelief when asked about supporting England in a match where Scotland was not participating. Fränden believed she was part of a majority of Swedes who wished Norway well in general, but not in sports.

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are you fockin’ kiddin’ me?

However, a recent survey by SVT revealed that only 11% of Swedes want Norway to be eliminated from the World Cup, with just 6% of women sharing this sentiment. Fränden identifies herself as part of a "brave minority" that doesn't get swept up in the "Nordic wave" of support.

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All good to Norway, except in sports!

She contrasts this with the view of Moderate politician Gunnar Hökmark, who, on his blog, urged Swedes to "grow up and start rowing" and support Norway due to the geopolitical climate. Hökmark argued that Norway's success does not diminish Sweden's and that supporting a fellow Nordic nation strengthens their collective identity and shared democratic ideals, innovation, and prosperity.

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grow up and start rowing

Fränden dismisses Hökmark's argument as a misunderstanding of why sports rivalries exist. She contends that allegiances are based on arbitrary, inherited traditions, old provincial alliances, and purely anti-intellectual affects, which have their rightful place only within the world of sports. She sarcastically suggests Hökmark might also encourage Brazilians to support Argentina after their World Cup exit, citing shared global economic interests.

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We don't become smaller because Norway is successful, which some people with inferiority complexes seem to think. On the contrary, we become bigger, because we are part of a Nordic family whose societies are shaped by stable democratic ideals, equality and equity among people, and a tolerance and openness that have made our countries some of the most successful in the world in terms of innovation, prosperity, trust, and freedom.