Norwegian football star Erling Haaland is suing Norwegian Air Shuttle over the alleged unauthorised use of his likeness in a promotional campaign featuring a ponytail image associated with the Manchester City striker.
Haaland’s lawyer, Thomas Hagen, said the lawsuit concerns what he described as the airline’s “unlawful use” of Haaland’s distinctive image and characteristics while promoting flight tickets during the football World Cup.
Haaland, who plays for Manchester City, helped Norway reach the World Cup quarter-finals this summer in the country’s first appearance at football’s showpiece tournament since 1998. Norway’s campaign ended with a 2-1 defeat to England.
The exact details of the disputed image have not been made public. However, Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) reported that the airline removed a social media montage showing one of its planes with a ponytail, referencing Haaland’s distinctive hairstyle before he recently cut his hair.
The image reportedly carried the caption: “We’ve never looked more Norwegian.”
Norwegian Air Shuttle confirmed that it had received the lawsuit but said it found the legal action difficult to understand.
“Like almost all of Norway, we supported the national team this summer, through a few spontaneous posts inspired by trends on social media,” airline spokeswoman Catharina Solli told AFP.
She described the legal action as regrettable and said the airline hoped to resolve the matter through dialogue while continuing to support Norway’s national sports stars.
According to VG, the case is scheduled to come before Oslo District Court on October 9.
The lawsuit centres on whether the airline’s promotional use of imagery associated with Haaland unlawfully exploited his likeness without his authorisation.