Patrick Berg, a defensive midfielder for Norwegian pro team Bodø/Glimt and the Norway national team, showed what allyship is about when he confronted a fan Sunday who was shouting anti-gay slurs at the team.
“I just said: ‘What are you thinking about? Look around you.’ There were lots of children around him. He stands and shouts those words. For me it’s incredible,” Berg told Norwegian TV about why he confronted the fan.
Video shows Bodø/Glimt players celebrating a late goal over home team Kristiansund in a league game that effectively clinched a 4-2 win. Someone can be heard repeatedly yelling the Norwegian equivalent of “homo” or “damn gays,” repeatedly. This causes an obviously heated Berg to race over to the stands and yell back at the fan, while being restrained by a referee.
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When asked what the fan yelled, Berg said, “It was homophobic, I can say that.” He added that this was the first time he’s heard such a slur at a match.
“There was someone who shouted abuse that should not be accepted anywhere in our society. So when no one around speaks up, I feel someone has to speak up,” Berg said.
Berg said referee Daniel Higraff heard the slurs and Higraff said he has filed a report to the Norway Football Assn. about the incident.
Kristiansund events manager Truls Skar Helland said the team is trying to identify the fan, who will be banned if they can find him.
“It’s not something we want to be associated with,” Helland said. “It’s a culture we don’t hope reflects the majority. It’s a shame that such an incident should take the focus away from an otherwise fine match.
Helland praised Berg for taking a stand, saying, “It only reinforces how important it is that he did it. It also makes it even more important that we get rid of such problems.”
What Berg did is exactly how any athlete should respond to slurs of any kind. What happened in Norway is not on the same scale as Mexican fans for years yelling anti-gay slurs despite repeated pleas and warnings to stop, but it always needs to be called out.
