Norway manager Stale Solbakken has suggested Arsene Wenger has been 'brainwashed' in his work for FIFA, after the former Arsenal manager's criticism of teams for making political demonstrations during the World Cup in Qatar.
Wenger, who has been FIFA's head of global football development since 2019, controversially suggested teams who had taken a political stance at the tournament subsequently underperformed on the pitch.
Wenger, who was given the nickname Le Professeur during his time at Arsenal, has been criticised for the remarks by Solbakken.
Solbakken, speaking to Norwegian channel TV 2, accused Wenger of making 'stupid statements' in his role at FIFA, citing his support for World Cup in Qatar and backing to make the tournament a biennial event.
'It shudders to see that the smartest man in the world, Arsene Wenger, who has been looked up to over the years, has somehow been brainwashed and is now making the most stupid statements,' Solbakken said.
'It's scary with all the people we've looked up to in the football world for years.
'There's a polarisation going on right now, and I'm afraid it's going to get worse.'
Wenger had made the controversial comment after the group stage, with his view perceived as a dig at Germany and Denmark, who both underperformed at the World Cup and were outspoken beforehand about human rights in the highly conservative Gulf country.
'You know when you go to a World Cup, you know you can't lose the first game,' Wenger said. 'The teams who have the experience to perform in tournaments like France and England played well in the first game.'
'The teams who were mentally ready, with a mindset to focus on competition, and not the political demonstrations.'
Germany failed to qualify for the knockout stages and suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Japan, while Denmark finished bottom of Group D, behind France, Australia and Tunisia and were knocked out of the tournament.
Solbakken had previously claimed football did not do enough to prevent Qatar from hosting the World Cup, amid controversies over the treatment of migrant workers, the LGBTQ community, and human rights.
Norway have been among the most vocal nations against the tournament being held in Qatar, with the country's Football Association President Lise Klaveness criticising the decision to award the tournament to the gulf nation earlier this year.
The Norwegian national team also wore protest T-shirts ahead of World Cup qualifiers earlier this year.
Former Australian international Craig Foster had also criticised Wenger's comments during the tournament, labelling the remarks as 'disgraceful'.
The World Cup will conclude on Sunday when Argentina face holders France in the final.