Norway manager, Stale Solbakken questioned FIFA’s ball sensor technology after claiming an overhead television cable altered the flight of the ball before England’s equaliser in Sunday’s 2-1 World Cup quarter-final defeat in Miami.
Jude Bellingham’s brace secured England’s place in the semi-finals after cancelling out Andreas Schjelderup’s opener in first-half stoppage time before netting the winner in extra time.
The controversy centred on England’s equaliser, which came after Orjan Nyland’s goal kick was intercepted. Solbakken believed the ball struck an overhead TV wire, causing it to drop unexpectedly and leading to confusion among Norway’s defenders.
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“That was unlucky for us. The ball fell straight down from the sky, so it changed its direction,” Solbakken said. “It became a misunderstanding among our players, but we can’t do anything about that.”
However, FIFA dismissed those claims, stating that data from the connected match ball detected no contact with the overhead cable.
“Before England’s goal, the sensor in the connected ball showed no peak in the ‘heartbeat of the ball’ when in the air, and therefore no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire and changed the movement of the ball,” FIFA said in a statement.
Although Solbakken acknowledged he did not personally see the incident, he insisted several members of the Norway bench and goalkeeper, Orjan Nyland believed the ball had changed direction.
“If there’s been no sound or no reading in the chip, what can I say against that?” he said. “But the ball drops down straight from heaven, says everyone.”
Despite the controversial moment, Solbakken urged Norwegian supporters not to let the incident overshadow what he described as a historic tournament, with Norway reaching the World Cup quarter-finals after qualifying for the competition for the first time since 1998.
