OSLO, Oct 1 — Norwegian football superstar Erling Haaland is suing airline Norwegian Air Shuttle for unlawfully using his likeness, a lawsuit which the airline claims is incomprehensible and “regrettable”, the two parties said Thursday.

“The case concerns Norwegian’s unlawful use of Haaland’s distinctive signs in its promotion of plane tickets during the football World Cup,” Haaland’s lawyer, Thomas Hagen, said in an email to AFP.

Haaland, who plays for Manchester City, inspired Norway to reach the World Cup quarter-finals this summer, in their first appearance in football’s showpiece event since 1998, before losing 2-1 to England.

The exact subject of the dispute is not known, but newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) reported that Norwegian has removed a photo montage showing one of its planes sporting a ponytail, which until he recently cut his hair was characteristic of Haaland, from social media.