The 21-year-old player confessed to the crime and will be tried on November 19 in Copenhagen, potentially facing a fine or prison sentence of up to one year.
The president of the Norwegian Football Federation, Lise Klaveness, said this Monday that Benfica’s Andreas Schjeldrup made “a very serious mistake”, with the but that the footballer will not be punished in the selection.
“Schjelderup made a mistake. A very serious mistake that carries criminal liability. Now, he needs to defend himself in a confession trial, which will take place on November 19. I contacted his lawyer and received a good overview of the case. We are very confident in our assessment that we should not impose any additional sanctions”, the president of the Nordic Federation told Norway’s TV2.
The head of the Norwegian organization, a lawyer and former Norwegian international, also revealed that she was aware of the case on Saturday and that the matter was detected by Snapchat’s automatic filter and, therefore, reached the police.
“I’m thinking about Schjelderup, those involved in the case, I’m thinking about Stale [selecionador] and I hope that the press will refer to the ongoing criminal proceedings. This is a trial by confession, because he confessed. We are happy with that. That he is taking responsibility in a case that affects many young people”, he added.
“He made a big mistake and he knows it very well”
The 21-year-old Benfica player admitted to having shared an illegal and inappropriate video on Snapchat some time ago, lasting 27 seconds, with sexual content involving minors, and this Monday the coach Stale Solbakken commented on the case.
“He made a huge mistake. Andreas knows this very well. He has been talking to the police since the first day. He took over and provided all the information he was supposed to give. He will be here and will be part of the selection. There is no doubt about that”, said Solbakken.
The Norwegian coach also said that the international, who will be the last footballer to join the concentration, has the full support of the players, coaches and other officials.
“I should have realized the seriousness of the situation”
According to the Norwegian press, the Nordic international is subject to a fine or a prison sentence of up to one year, and the case will be judged in the Copenhagen Municipal Court later this month.
“I only saw the first few seconds of the video and I didn’t understand what happened afterwards. A friend of mine immediately told me that it was illegal to share it and so I deleted it immediately. At the time I didn’t think about the consequences, nor that I was sharing something that could be illegal. But, I should have realized the seriousness of the situation”, reads a ‘story’ by Schjelderup on Instagram.
The Norwegian winger took “full responsibility”, adding that he cooperated with the investigation from the beginning, guaranteeing that he always told the truth and that he expects to be sentenced, albeit with a suspended prison sentence.
“I am accused and I will probably be sentenced. I would like to be able to go back in time and correct my mistake. I sincerely apologize for my mistake”, stressed the player.
Born in Bodo, in northern Norway, Andreas Schjelderup signed for Benfica in the second half of the 2022/23 season, after having caught the eye at Nordsjaelland, a team he would represent again, on loan, the following season.
