Defence lawyer condemns World Cup fans’ chant about Høiby

Marius Borg Høiby’s defence lawyer has sharply criticised World Cup supporters for chanting “Høiby shall go to prison,” calling the behaviour childish, Dagbladet reports.

Videos of the chant, sung by celebrating Norwegian fans, have spread widely on social media, with one TikTok clip viewed nearly a million times. Reactions in the comments range from praise to calls of the chant being “tragic” and “embarrassing.”

Petar Sekulic, Høiby’s lawyer, told the newspaper that such antics from football fans are not uncommon. “Some childish behaviour from football supporters is probably normal everywhere,” he said, declining further comment.

Høiby, 29, was convicted on 15 June of two counts of rape, including one at a post-party in the basement of Skaugum several years ago and another on Palm Sunday 2024 in Oslo’s west end. He was also ordered to surrender his driver’s licence for one year and eight months, and to forfeit his mobile phone, MacBook, iPad, and social media accounts.

He has appealed parts of the verdict, which is not yet final. Høiby remains in pre-trial custody until 13 July, with police requesting a four-week extension. Oslo District Court will decide on further detention.