Norwegian international Andreas Schjelderup has admitted to committing an offence in Denmark involving the illegal sharing of a video, calling it a “stupid mistake” from his teenage years.
The Benfica winger, now 21, made the admission in a public statement on Saturday, days before Norway’s crucial World Cup qualifying fixtures against Estonia and Italy.
In the statement shared on Instagram, Schjelderup said he had received and forwarded a video clip to a friend while playing for Danish Superliga side Nordsjaelland at age 19. He claimed to have deleted it shortly after learning what it contained.
“What I did in Denmark at that time was illegal and not OK. I will take full responsibility for it,” Schjelderup wrote. “I wish I could go back in time and change my mistake. I have never done anything illegal before, or been involved with the police, so I have been in shock for a long time while this has been going on.”
He apologised to those affected, as well as to his family, club, and national team, saying: “The offence I will be convicted for does not reflect who I am as a person or what I stand for.”
While the exact nature of the video has not been confirmed, Danish media reported that it allegedly involved sexual material featuring individuals under the age of 18. Schjelderup said the clip appeared to show “two young men in an old-quality video,” which he shared “without thinking,” having only seen the opening seconds.
He has cooperated fully with Danish police and is expected to receive a suspended sentence when he appears in court later this month.
Benfica president Rui Costa has expressed the club’s support for the young player, who joined the Portuguese side in 2023. “He made a terrible mistake, but he has owned up to it,” Costa reportedly said.
Norway national team coach Ståle Solbakken confirmed that he had spoken with Schjelderup ahead of the international break. “He has admitted the incident and taken responsibility. It was an incredibly foolish thing, but I have full confidence that he has learned from it,” Solbakken said. “This is a tough situation for Andreas, and we’ll make sure to take good care of him when he joins the team on Monday.”
Norway, currently leading their qualifying group by three points, are on the verge of reaching their first World Cup since 1998. Schjelderup acknowledged the timing of the revelation was unfortunate.
“I know this is an unnecessary disturbance to the national team before some of the most important games in our history,” he wrote. “My intention was to share this after the games to avoid that, but that’s no longer possible.”
Source: BBC Sports
