Erling Haaland has filed a lawsuit against an airline over the use of his image
Norwegian soccer player Erling Haaland has filed a lawsuit against Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA over what he claims is the unauthorized use of his image in an advertising campaign. The lawsuit was also filed by the British company York Promotions Ltd, which is affiliated with the soccer player.
According to the lawsuit, Norwegian Air Shuttle used images of Erling Haaland on its social media accounts during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The company was running an advertising campaign related to the sale of airline tickets during the World Cup. One of the posts featuring a photo of the soccer player was accompanied by the caption:
“We’ve never been so Norwegian.”
Norwegian subsequently removed this post from its social media pages and also deleted other posts featuring the soccer player.
It was the use of Holland’s image in an advertising context that formed the basis for the lawsuit. The soccer player and York Promotions Ltd. believe that the airline used his image without proper permission to promote its services.
Erling Haaland’s attorney, Thomas Hagen, stated that the case concerns the unauthorized use of the soccer player’s image during the airline’s advertising campaign.
Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA confirmed that it had received a lawsuit from the Manchester City player, but company representatives said they did not fully understand the nature of the claims.
The airline emphasized that it supported the Norwegian national team at the World Cup this summer, just like many other Norwegians. It also explained that the social media posts were spontaneous and created in response to current trends.
Thus, the legal dispute between Erling Haaland and Norwegian concerns the right to use the soccer player’s image in commercial advertising.
This was reported by the Norwegian publication VG.
As a reminder, Manchester City defeated Manchester United 1-0 in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford. Erling Haaland scored the lone goal in the 60th minute, and the visiting team played with one fewer player from the 23rd minute onward after Phil Foden was sent off.
Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso stated that forward João Pedro is on par with Manchester City forward Erling Haaland and, in terms of playing style, reminds him of Karim Benzema.
