England vs Norway row erupts overnight as FIFA release footage | Football | Sport
England’s progression to the World Cup semi-finals has sparked fresh controversy following new footage, prompting suggestions that Jude Bellingham’s vital equaliser against Norway should have been disallowed. Thomas Tuchel’s men fought back from a goal down to defeat Norway 2-1 after extra time in their quarter-final, with Bellingham netting twice to set up a mouth-watering semi-final showdown with Argentina.
However, focus has now shifted to the build-up to England’s opening goal after replays appeared to show the ball making contact with the overhead camera wire from a Norwegian goal kick. As goalkeeper Orjan Nyland launched the ball upfield shortly before half-time, television footage claimed it grazed the suspended camera apparatus before falling to Elliott Anderson, who swiftly found Anthony Gordon. Gordon then laid it off for Bellingham to blast England back on level terms.
According to FIFA’s Laws of the Game, play must be restarted with a dropped ball if the ball touches a match official or an outside agent, which includes overhead equipment such as a camera suspended above the playing surface.
That triggered immediate objections from Norway’s players, who maintained England’s equaliser should have been chalked off.
Norway manager Stale Solbakken was spotted confronting referee Clement Turpin as the teams departed the pitch at half-time, while both Nyland and Erling Haaland were also captured on camera gesturing towards the sky, adamant the ball had struck the camera system.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, appearing as a pundit for Fox, said the incident should have been reviewed by the video assistant referee.
He said: “VAR can interfere if that contact of the ball on the camera cable is part of a reviewable incident. An attacking phase of play leading to a goal is part of the VAR reviewable incident. It should have been picked up by VAR.”
FIFA subsequently addressed the controversy by publishing footage from the connected match ball’s sensor, asserting there was no indication the ball had made contact with the overhead wire.
In a statement shared on social media alongside the data, FIFA said: “Before England’s goal in minute 45+2 against Norway, 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.”
The governing body further stated that the technology registered no spike in the ball’s movement, which it claims would have signalled contact with the cable.
But the incident continued to split opinion amongst fans, with numerous supporters questioning why the apparent contact was not examined more rigorously before the goal was permitted to stand.
England ultimately completed their comeback in extra time when Bellingham netted his second of the evening, securing a 2-1 win and propelling Tuchel’s men into the World Cup semi-finals.
