Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken has spoken out about the controversial build-up to Jude Bellingham’s equaliser against England, insisting it was “pretty clear” that the ball struck the overhead camera cable before the goal. The incident occurred late in the first half of Norway’s FIFA World Cup quarter-final defeat, when goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland launched a goal kick that appeared to hit a camera wire suspended above the pitch. England quickly regained possession, and Bellingham finished the move to level the scores. Nyland and Solbakken immediately appealed to the referee, believing play should have been stopped. However, the protests were dismissed, and the goal stood. Television replays appeared to show the ball making contact with the cable. FIFA, however, later maintained that there was “no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire and changed the movement of the ball.” Explaining the referee’s response, Solbakken said the official was unaware of any contact. “He said that he didn’t see it himself and that he didn’t get any message that it actually happened,”. “Since Fifa says that there was no touch, I can’t do anything about it. But the ball fell down straight in front of the bench, so it did. Everyone saw what happened. I think it’s pretty clear that it did. it was a strange thing.” Under the Laws of the Game, if the referee or match officials determine that the ball has touched an outside object such as an overhead cable, play should be stopped and restarted with a dropped ball. Since the officials did not detect any contact, play continued uninterrupted and England capitalised by scoring. Despite his disappointment, Solbakken refused to dwell on the incident, choosing instead to praise his players for their efforts throughout the tournament. “I can sit here and cry but I don’t want to do that. We have done everything we could – the players have been phenomenal throughout the tournament. OK it was bizarre, but it’s part of football and why it is the best sport in the world because things like that can happen. We have to accept it,” he said. The Norway boss also felt the unexpected trajectory of the ball after the alleged contact created confusion among his players at a decisive moment. “It was unlucky for us. The ball fell straight down from the sky, so it takes this direction. It became a misunderstanding among our players, and it was a bad moment for us. We can’t do anything about that. I don’t think we will play the game again, so that’s how it is,” he added. England eventually won 2-1 after extra time, with Bellingham scoring both goals to send the Three Lions into the FIFA World Cup semi-finals.
