– I’m really speechless, but I was already speechless on Friday. And I’m probably not the only one, says NRK sports commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt.

On Friday, it seemed that the dialogue between Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and the Norwegian Ski Association suddenly and unexpectedly achieved its goal. Cross country manager Espen Bjervig confirmed this to NRK.

On Sunday, the atmosphere was very different. Now Bjervig confirmed that the Ski Association still wants to continue talks on a different solution than he himself confirmed on Friday.

– This is reckless to say the least on behalf of the Ski Association. It’s an extreme defeat to have to go back to the negotiating table now, Saltvedt said.

Confirmed agreement

– Yes, the case is extraordinary. This solution has been around for a while. “I and everyone knew that this was possible all along,” Espen Bjervig told NRK on Friday afternoon.

Then Johannes Høsflot Klæbo just sent a press release about the status of the representation agreement negotiations which was not on target.

– What we have been negotiating since May is a kind of hybrid between a national team agreement and a representation agreement. Both parties want an agreement that is a little bigger and more extensive than a simple representation agreement that you are in and out of throughout the season. When we don’t reach the same solution we hope to find a variant of, a simple solution would be better. “Now we have done our part, so we will see what the Ski Association’s response is,” said manager Haakon Klæbo there.

The press release was issued at 4:38 p.m., 22 minutes before the Ski Association’s fall meeting in Ullevaal. NRK happened to be standing with cross country manager Bjervig and cross country committee leader Torbjørn Skogstad when they read what had been sent.

Immediate reaction

When Bjervig finished reading, NRK asked if he and Skogstad wanted to discuss the content before commenting on the case. Bjervig turned down the offer, and instead applied directly for an interview.

– It was important for Klæbo to land him today, so it ended up with the solution that he has a completely standard representation agreement like everyone else who is not in the national team and represents, answered Bjervig in the interview, which was also shown in Dagsrevyen.

The statement sparked a strong reaction, as such a solution would give Klæbo far greater commercial freedom throughout the season than any alternative the parties are known to be negotiating.

– He attacked them again, said Adresseavisen sports commentator Birger Løfaldli.

But on Saturday, NRK heard from several sources that the agreement was not as clear as Bjervig made it out to be, and that the cross-border manager had spoken in a way that was not rooted in the organization.

Want to have a new conversation with Klæbo

On Sunday afternoon, the cross country manager confirmed that what he said was not true. He explained that there had been negotiations throughout the day and were close to reaching an agreement. Then came a press release in which Klæbo expressed his willingness to cancel the use of private sponsorship marks on the national team jerseys, which was part of the negotiations.

– Just before we started the big fall meet of cross-country skiing, Klæbo sent out a press release, and when we read it quickly, I got the impression that they wanted a solution with national teams coming in and out throughout the season. “We have made this a possible alternative in past negotiations, and I made the same statement in the media earlier this week,” he wrote in his message to NRK.

And continues:

– I therefore made my statement with that as a starting point, and understand in retrospect that I should have made my statement more precisely. We should return to the contents of the representation agreement when everything is ready.

Two days after he confirmed that the problem was unlikely, he told NRK that the Norwegian Ski Association would contact Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and his equipment.

– This means we haven’t explained what the agreement is, but a standard agreement could be an alternative, as could a longer agreement, wrote Bjervig.

– Impossible to happen

NRK also contacted Torbjørn Skogstad on Sunday evening, who provided a brief comment without wishing to answer any questions.

– I have good faith that we will solve everything in a short time, he said.

Johannes Høsflot Klæbo learned of Bjervig’s turnaround through his media advisor Lasse Gimnes. Gimnes said that Klæbo wanted to wait for a possible answer.

However, Jan Petter Saltvedt is very clear:

– Such a mistake could not have happened in a case that was so inflammatory, long-standing and so important, said the sports commentator.

– Depends on Klæbo

Negotiations on a representation agreement began after Klæbo rejected a place in the national team in May. In periods where non-team runners are subject to a representation agreement, they are subject to the same commercial rules as national team runners.

In periods where they are not subject to an agreement, they are completely commercially free. The agreement that Bjervig confirmed on Friday, but is now willing to discuss further with Klæbo, will give Klæbo a commercial-free period between each World Cup weekend throughout the winter.

Jan Petter Saltvedt now believes that Klæbo has very good cards in his hands, if he is willing to return to the negotiating table.

– If the Ski Association is now able to change it to a different agreement than the one Bjervig confirmed on Friday, they are one hundred percent dependent on the “good will” of Klæbo, who, in a sense, got the opportunity to prove it. is about something other than money, he said.