A World Cup organiser has apologised to Dagens Nyheter’s photographer for the scandal in Denmark. Organisers are also asking for an explanation from Paraguay’s national team and the FIFA host who made the phone call.
- We take what you write seriously and guarantee you that what you have reported absolutely does not count among the work tasks of a team liaison officer, the local World Cup organising committee's vice chairman Wolfgang Niersbach wrote in an e-mail to DN.
Last weekend two DN co-workers covered Swedens World Cup opponent Paraguay during a warm-up friendly with Denmark in Aarhus. Interviews with Paraguay's players follow, after which DN's photographer Emilie Ostlund got a call in the middle of the night from Paraguay's team liaison manager, who serves the team and is hired by FIFA. He forwarded her a request from one of the Paraguay stars to meet him in the middle of the night so that he can get to know her.
The World Cup organiser has taken a clear stand against what happened and sincerely apologised.
- We want to sort out this situation as quickly as possible, Niersbach wrote.
The organisers have demanded that Paraguay's football federation and the team liaison manager Manuel Hoffman come up with explanations on Thursday by the latest.
According to the World Cup organisation, Hoffman had only been employed for the World Cup and his work during Paraguay's friendly in Denmark was a temporary solution based on a specific request from the team.
Asplund was pleased that what happened in Denmark was taken seriously.
- The incident is hardly unique. It's an important question, Asplund said.