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Erling Haaland has sued the airline Norwegian Air Shuttle because of a marketing post that mimicked his eye-catching blond ponytail. The Norway and Manchester City number nine, widely considered one of the greatest strikers of all time, is taking action against the post that superimposed his ponytail onto the aircraft.
The post was made during the 2026 World Cup. The motivation for using the likeness of Norway’s national hero during football’s greatest sporting event is clear from the caption used: “We’ve never looked more Norwegian.” The post has since been taken down.
Haaland’s Legal Team Alleges A Breach In Marketing Law
According to Haaland’s legal team, Norwegian Air Shuttle used the likeness of the sports star without receiving the proper permission, and without coming to a financial agreement to gain the rights needed. Thomas Hagen, Haaland’s lawyer, claims that the image was used to help sell plane tickets, as reported by MiG Flug.
The Facebook post embedded below shows how Norwegian Air Shuttle superimposed Haaland’s haircut onto an aircraft:
Norwegian Air Shuttle spokesperson Catharina Solli spoke to AFP, as reported by MiG Flug. She said:
“Like almost all of Norway, we supported the national team this summer, through a few spontaneous posts inspired by trends on social media,”
The airline told Simple Flying “we have no further comment than what we have stated previously to the media.” A court-led video planning hearing is currently scheduled for October 9.
Haaland Is Enthusiastic About Protecting His Image
In professional sports, a player’s brand and image are as important as their performance. Haaland and his legal team take this further than most. Not only are they clearly litigious about the use of his image by other brands, even those with no connection to football, but they have an extensive trademarking history, as reported by The Trademark Helpline.
An example is Haaland’s iconic celebration, in which he sits on the grass and adopts a yoga-like pose. Much like Haaland’s hair, the silhouette of this celebration is something that is associated with the Scandinavian striker globally.
Haaland has also made efforts to keep the rights to his name. TVP World reports of his success in a battle to overturn a Polish man’s trademarking of his name. This trademark would have blocked Haaland’s business ventures into 16 product categories, including energy drinks and sportswear. The dispute started in 2023. Haaland successfully used the European Union’s legal system to overturn the trademark.
Legal Precedent Will Be Concerning For Norwegian Air Shuttle
Until this case gets into court or Haaland and Norwegian Air Shuttle come to a settlement, it is impossible to know exactly what will happen. However, past cases where athletes have successfully protected their image will be grim reading for the airline. The legal history and the legislation have led Tore Lunde, a University of Bergen professor of marketing and intellectual property law, to conclude that Haaland’s efforts may be successful.
According to MiG Flug reporting, Lunde pointed to a 2009 Supreme Court case in which the snowboarder Andy Finch sued Tromsø 2018 AS, a Norwegian company, for using his image without permission. Tromsø was established in 2003 to bid for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games for the city in northern Norway. As part of its promotional materials, Tromsø produced a 28-page prospectus, IAM Media reports. It included an image of Finch in action at The Arctic Challenge AS (TAC) in Tromsø in 2004. Tromsø had bought the image from a press photographer but had failed to get the proper permissions.
Similarly to how Norwegian Air Shuttle took the Haaland ponytail image off its social media, Tromsø replaced the image and took it down from the internet version of the prospectus soon after an objection was made. The courts concluded that Finch had a right to images of himself and ordered Tromsø to pay compensation.
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