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Norway without injured Hegerberg for must-win World Cup clash

Norway will be without star striker Ada Hegerberg for their must-win Women's World Cup clash with the Philippines on Sunday because of injury, coach Hege Riise said.

Norway without injured Hegerberg for must-win World Cup clash
Norway's forward #14 Ada Hegerberg heads the ball. Photo: Marty MELVILLE/AFP.

The former Ballon d’Or winner has not recovered from the groin injury that forced her to pull out of Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Switzerland just before kick-off.

“She is not ready for this game,” Riise told reporters at Eden Park on Saturday. “It came too early after her injury. She is still working to be ready for the next game.”

Lyon striker Hegerberg, the all-time top scorer in the UEFA Champions League, had lined up for the national anthems just before kick-off against Switzerland.

However, she then promptly headed back to the dressing room, saying later that she had felt a pain in her groin in the warm-up.

Without her Norway again toiled in front of goal, the goalless draw coming after a 1-0 defeat against co-hosts New Zealand in the tournament’s opening game.

That means the 1995 World Cup winners have to beat the Philippines in Auckland just to stand a chance of advancing to the knockout phase from Group A.

That will definitely be enough to progress if Switzerland beat New Zealand at the same time in Dunedin.

However, any other outcome in that game would leave Norway relying on goal difference to go through.

“It is very simple,” said Riise.  “We need to go out there and attack. We are on the offensive. We were a bit better against Switzerland and we need to be even better tomorrow.”

Riise indicated that Caroline Graham Hansen was a contender to return to the starting line-up.

The Barcelona winger claimed she had been disrespected after being dropped to the bench against the Swiss, exposing disharmony in the Norwegian camp.

“We handled it, that issue is now behind us and we have a match tomorrow in which we all want to do much better,” said Riise.

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Norwegian police charge Olympic champion’s father for domestic violence

Norwegian police said Monday that Gjert Ingebrigtsen, father and former coach of 1,500m Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, had been charged with domestic violence against a family member.

Norwegian police charge Olympic champion's father for domestic violence

Jakob Ingebrigtsen and two of his brothers, Henrik and Filip, who are also athletes, shocked Norway last October when they accused their father of being violent.

“We grew up with a very aggressive and authoritarian father, who used physical violence and threats as part of his upbringing,” the brothers wrote in an op-ed for newspaper VG. “We still feel a sense of discomfort and fear that we have felt since childhood,” they added.

Police opened a probe into the abuse claims and on Monday said prosecutors had decided to charge Gjert Ingebrigtsen, 58, with domestic violence against one of his children.

According to a source close to the case, the acts in question do not concern the trio of known athletes but another, younger child.

Over a period of four years, from 2018 to 2022, Gjert Ingebrigtsen allegedly manhandled, insulted, threatened and hit the child in the face with his hand or with a towel.

Responding to questions from AFP, Therese Braut Vage, who led the investigation, would not confirm this account.

Police said they had closed investigations into other events concerning the six other children in the home either due to a lack of evidence or, in one case, because the statute of limitations having expired.

Gjert, who coached Jakob until after the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo — where Jakob won the gold — has always denied the accusations against him.

“As far as the dismissed cases, we agree that there is no evidence to prove that Ingebrigtsen committed any wrongdoing,” his lawyer John Christian Elden told AFP on Monday.

“For the rest, Ingebrigtsen disputes the description of the facts on which the indictment is based — and he therefore does not admit his guilt,” he continued in an email.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen is the most successful of the three brothers, twice winning gold in the world championships 5000m in 2022 and 2023, as well as the Olympic 1500m gold.

The 23-year-old is also preparing for the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.

Henrik, 33, and Filip, 31, were European champions in the 1500m in 2012 and 2016 respectively.

After breaking with his sons, Gjert Ingebrigtsen shocked Norwegian athletics by becoming the trainer of another runner, Narve Gilje Nordas.

The Norwegian Olympic Committee has said that Gjert will not be granted accreditation for the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, as was the case at last year’s World Athletics Championships.

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