On 21 October 2008 Lene Mykjåland and four other Røa players – Marie Knutsen, Guro Knutsen, Marit Fiane Christensen and Siri Nordby – made headlines when they announced in a press release that they would not be returning to the national team due to issues the five had with the national team leadership. While the press statement never mentioned coach Bjarne Berntsen's name, it was assumed that he was instrumental in their decision to retire from the team. The retirement, which came off in many newspapers as a boycott, created widespread media attention. When Eli Landsem took over the national team after the 2009 European Championship, they ended their boycott and made themselves available again for the national team. On 15 January 2010, Mykjåland played her first game for Norway since the boycott in a 1–1 draw against England. In 2011, Mykjåland was included in the squad that was going to play in the 2011 Women's World Cup.