"Maybe they went out with the kit now because of the danger of things being leaked, I'm not sure. But now the cat is out of the bag. And the race we've been on has come to an end", says Jan Ove Nystuen, Head of Brand Management at NFF to NRK.
The kit wasn't actually supposed to be launched until next Monday, but in a post on Instagram, Haaland shows off both the home and away kits in collaboration with the sportswear giant Nike.
Neither the Norwegian Federation nor Nystuen had been informed about the plans for the Instagram post.
"This is classic. This makes us look very bad, admits Nystuen. "But Erling (Braut Haaland) is not to blame for this at all. Here, others have broken the publishing cycle", says Nystuen.
Nystuen denies that the Norwegian FA will take up the matter with Nike.
"No. It just shows how much pressure there is on these kits. I think we have more important things to argue about than this", he says.
In the launch video, Braut Haaland is tasked with “finding the goods” in what seems to be an escape room. First he finds the home kit, before finally discovering a hidden room with a black away kit, which he clearly appreciates. "Beautiful", says Haaland.
Norway will play its first game in the tournament against the winner of the FIFA Playoff mini tournament between Bolivia, Suriname, and Iraq in Boston on 16 June.