Norway striker Alexander Sørloth has been targeted with abusive messages and death threats on social media after his country’s 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final defeat to England.
The abuse reportedly began after Sørloth missed a clear scoring chance when Norway were leading 1-0. Some fans also criticized him for not passing the ball to teammate Erling Haaland, who was in a better position to score.
His partner, Lena Selnes, shared some of the messages on Instagram to show the kind of abuse they have received. The messages contained insults and serious threats, with some people telling Sørloth to take his own life and others threatening to kill him.
Reacting to the incident, Selnes said football should bring people together and bring joy, not hatred. She explained that she did not want to give attention to the abusive comments, but felt it was important to speak out because of how shocking and unacceptable the messages were.
