England just barely kept their goal against Norway after FIFA shared proof showing it was okay.
Jude Bellingham’s goal for England against Norway almost didn’t count because of a strange moment during the build-up.
Bellingham scored just before half-time to level the game at 1-1, after Norway’s Andreas Schjelderup had put his team ahead.
It started when Elliot Anderson got the ball from Norway’s goal kick, which then reached Anthony Gordon. Gordon made a great pass for Bellingham, who ran onto it and calmly scored past Norway’s keeper, Orjan Nyland.
But FOX Sports caught something on video that showed the ball might have touched a camera cable while in the air after Nyland’s goal kick. This could have meant the goal was disallowed.
The clip was shared on FOX Sports’ Twitter (X) account, and journalist Melissa Reddy reposted it because the original post was only available to viewers in the U.S.
Former referee Mark Clattenburg, working with FOX during the World Cup, explained that if the ball hits something like a camera cable during a play, the game should stop and restart with a drop ball. He said VAR should have reviewed the incident and possibly stopped the goal.
However, for that to happen, either the referee or the VAR team needed to notice the touch, which they didn’t. And there wasn’t clear proof that the ball actually hit the cable.
If they had decided the ball touched the cable, the play leading to England’s goal wouldn’t have continued past Anderson’s control. Alternatively, VAR could have stepped in to make that call.
Luckily, FIFA uses sensors inside the ball that track its exact movements and whether it’s been touched. They checked their data and found no signs that the ball hit the camera cable. Plus, their Snicko technology, which detects every contact with the ball, showed nothing unusual when the ball passed the cable.
Still, the Norway team and their manager, Stale Solbakken, weren’t happy with the decision. Solbakken even had an intense talk with the referee just before half-time. Erling Haaland also gestured to the referee, trying to show that the ball had hit the camera.