Norwegian Footballer Andreas Schjelderup Faces Conviction for Video Sharing
Norwegian international Andreas Schjelderup has announced that he is facing conviction for illegally sharing a video.
The 21-year-old Benfica winger took to Instagram on Saturday to acknowledge a "stupid mistake" he made at the age of 19 while playing for Danish Superliga club Nordsjaelland.
This revelation comes as Schjelderup has been named in Norway's 24-man squad for crucial World Cup qualifying matches against Estonia and Italy, which could secure the country's first World Cup appearance since 1998.
In his statement, Schjelderup explained that he received the video and shared it with a friend without fully understanding its content, promptly deleting it upon being informed of its nature.
"What I did in Denmark at that time was illegal and not acceptable. I will take full responsibility for it," he stated.
He expressed his apologies, saying, "I would like to apologize first and foremost to those affected by the video. Then to my friends, family, employers, country, and all the fans I have disappointed."
Schjelderup added, "I wish I could go back in time and change my mistake. I have never been involved in illegal activities or the police before, so I have been in shock throughout this situation."
He affirmed his readiness to face the consequences and urged others not to "watch or share videos with harmful or offensive content."
"The offense for which I will be convicted does not reflect who I am as a person and what I stand for," he remarked.
While the specific content of the video remains undisclosed, Schjelderup described it as featuring "what appeared to be two young men in a low-quality video," which he sent "without thinking."
He acknowledged that he "only saw the first few seconds and not what the video developed into."
Schjelderup confirmed his cooperation with Danish authorities and noted that he has been charged with the offense, expecting to be convicted "in the near future" and likely receiving a suspended sentence. Reports indicate he is scheduled to appear in court later this month.
His statement follows Danish media coverage alleging that an unnamed footballer had been charged with possessing or sharing sexual material involving individuals under the age of 18.
Rui Costa, president of Benfica, has expressed the club's support for Schjelderup.
Norway's manager, Stale Solbakken, commented on Saturday that he had spoken with Schjelderup, who he described as having committed "an incredibly foolish thing."
"He has admitted to the incident that occurred two years ago and is taking responsibility for his actions. I have full confidence that he has learned from this and will never repeat such behavior again. This is a challenging situation for Andreas, and we need to support him when he joins the team on Monday," Solbakken added.
Norway is on the brink of its first World Cup appearance since 1998, currently leading their qualifying group by three points with two matches remaining.
Schjelderup concluded, "I understand that this will be an unnecessary distraction for the national team of Norway before some of the most important games in our history. My intention was to share this after the games to avoid that. Unfortunately, that is no longer possible."
BBC Sport has reached out to Schjelderup's lawyer and the Danish Prosecution Service for further comments.