Norway manager Ståle Solbakken has questioned FIFA’s connected ball technology after claiming an overhead television cable affected the ball’s movement during England’s equalising goal in their World Cup quarter-final clash.
England secured a 2-1 victory in Miami after Jude Bellingham scored twice, cancelling out Andreas Schjelderup’s first-half stoppage-time opener before scoring the decisive goal in extra time.
The disputed moment came when England levelled the game after Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland’s goal kick was intercepted.
Solbakken claimed the ball appeared to strike an overhead cable, causing it to drop unexpectedly and creating confusion among Norway’s defenders.
“That was unlucky for us. The ball fell straight down from the sky, so it changed its direction,” Solbakken said, adding that the incident led to a misunderstanding among his players.
However, FIFA rejected the claim, saying data from the connected match ball showed no evidence that the ball made contact with the cable or changed direction because of it.
In a statement, FIFA said the ball’s internal sensor recorded no unusual signal while it was in the air before England’s goal, meaning there was no indication of contact with the overhead wire.
Although Solbakken admitted he did not personally see the alleged contact, he said members of Norway’s bench and goalkeeper Nyland believed the ball’s movement had changed.
The Norway coach accepted FIFA’s explanation but maintained that the unusual drop of the ball was noticed by several people.
Despite the controversy, Solbakken praised his team’s achievement in reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1998 and urged fans to focus on their historic campaign rather than the disputed moment.
