Sampdoria’s Morten Thorsby and changing football’s relationship with the environment

For Earth Day, here’s a piece by Leonard Jägerskiöld Velander about Morten Thorsby and environmentalism. You can find this in Issue 40

Your Instagram bio says that you are a “football player and environmentalist”, can you really be both?

I think you can, yes. Many players think that you shouldn’t mix football with politics but that is about to change. Just look at the United States where professional players, in every sport, protest against racism.

Football is no longer outside society because of the open mindsets of both players and clubs. With that said the environment is not a political standpoint; it is an apolitical point of view. Just like antiracism and equality.

Still, it must be hard being an environmentally conscious football player?

Being a football player is troublesome sometimes. We travel a lot, fly mostly and we have an unsustainable lifestyle. But there is also so much that we can do to contribute.

Like what?

Among other things, I fly less than ever before, the absolute minimum privately. I eat differently as well. Less meat even though it is problematic here in Italy. And if we use the platform we have, our social media accounts, then we can influence our supporters and our fellow human beings.

Do you have a bigger responsibility than others?

Definitely. More and more players are beginning to understand this and now they use their social media for important questions such as the environment or antiracism. “Purpose is the new luxury” is an expression that suits us athletes. Go ahead and play your football but you must take your role responsibly.

What made you environmentally committed?

When I was 18 years old, I moved to the Netherlands and I had a lot of spare time on my hands. I read an article in the Guardian about climate change and from then on my interest took off.

What have you done for the environment in your career since then?

Playing at Heerenveen I took the bike to training instead of the car. After a while all my teammates did the same. I also helped the club install solar panels throughout the stadium. Heerenveen was a cooperative club but you have greater influence than you think as a player.

And in Italy?

When I moved to Genova, I drove across the continent with all my luggage instead of flying. It was neither easy nor comfortable, but it became a positive headline which is always worth something.

How do your teammates react when you speak about the climate?

I have met people that do not understand at all. But I feel that consciousness is growing day by day. Five years ago, no one spoke about the environment in the dressing room. Now we do, and my teammates suddenly understand what I’m talking about.

How do you convince someone that does not understand?

I don’t focus too much on the few that don’t want to understand or listen. Instead I focus on those who want to do something. The latest project I have started is called WePlayGreen and we met with the Italian Minister of the Environment. We discussed how we can engage players and clubs in the environmental cause.

How would you do that?

With knowledge comes commitment and therefore we want to find all the interested players. Because if we reach out to them, they can affect their clubs. And the clubs can influence even more people. If influential players demand sustainability the clubs won’t be able to ignore them. As an example, not a single player would represent a racist club today. In the future I think we will see the same with sustainability.

Are there any other football players who engage in the climate issue?

Héctor Bellerín of Arsenal is one. He has a podcast where he talks about questions such as this. Since he plays in the Premier League he can reach out to a lot of people. Former Arsenal player Mathieu Flamini also speaks about his commitment. There are many less famous footballers as well that I have spoken with. They want to contribute in some way, but they don’t know how. I want to help them but sometimes it is hard to be an environmentalist and a football player at the same time. Critics say that we can’t live as we learn.

What can the football world do better?

Football fans included, then we are talking about 4billion people. Football has the potential to affect half the planet. If we can give all these people joy, then we can influence them too. Players and clubs must use the platform that we have to become so called “green leaders”. We need to stop being an industry that does not take this seriously and lead the progress instead. There is so much we can change and not just talk about. Energy efficient stadiums, smarter travels and transport… well, a hell of a lot more can be done!

Do you still ride your bike to training?

Ha-ha, no, but I car-pool with my Swedish teammate Albin Ekdal in my electric car. We would love to bicycle, but it is dangerous in Genova. The cycle paths aren’t prioritised here.