Pakistan-eligible Norwegian footballer rejects offer from Israeli club

FAISALABAD: Norwegian footballer Ole Sæter, who is eligible to represent Pakistan through his maternal lineage, has declined an offer worth €850,000 from Israeli club Maccabi Haifa.

The 28-year-old forward cited his moral beliefs and personal values as the key reasons for rejecting the deal. “If I were offered 500 million dollars, I still wouldn’t join an Israeli club,” Sæter said in an interview with a Norwegian newspaper. “It’s not about the money for me. My values are more important.”

Sæter added that no amount of financial incentive could convince him to go against his principles. “I don’t want such money. People there are living in fear in their own homes, and no money can buy my values,” he reportedly said. The striker, whose grandfather was a Pakistani citizen, has previously shared images of himself wearing the Pakistan national football jersey on social media.