Erling Haaland’s dad called salty for his quick five-word response to England’s win over Norway
After watching Erling Haaland’s exit from the FIFA World Cup, his dad, Alfie Haaland, shared his thoughts on social media with a short and honest message.
Erling had a great tournament, scoring in every game until the match against England. But England’s defense, led by Marc Guehi, John Stones, and Nico O’Reilly, managed to keep him mostly quiet.
The game had many ups and downs, with some tricky referee calls that went both ways. Norway even had a strange goal chance that was stopped by a goalkeeper mistake, leading to Bellingham’s winning goal.
However, the refereeing sparked the biggest debate. Alfie Haaland spoke out after the match. Norway players said England’s first goal was controversial because the ball hit a camera cable in the air before landing at Elliot Anderson’s feet, starting the attack.
Norway also lost a goal after Haaland was called for a foul before a corner kick, which involved a new rule. England faced VAR decisions too, with a penalty for Djed Spence being overturned.
Alfie seemed to think the referee favored England when he wrote on social media, “Well done Bellingham and referee,” replying to a post by Fabrizio Romano.
England fans didn’t like that comment. One wrote, “Stay humble, accept the defeat, and stop this,” reminding Alfie of Erling’s earlier words to Mikel Arteta. Another said, “You’re a sore loser… silly clown.”
Some fans were more understanding but know nothing can change the result now. One pointed out, “He’s not wrong to be salty. Clattenburg said the ball hitting the cable should have stopped the play and the goal shouldn’t have counted.”
Alfie was even seen making rude gestures toward Djed Spence after mimicking diving signals. He also criticized Norway’s forward Sørloth for missing a big chance in the first half by not passing to Erling.
“People will talk about the camera and the disallowed goal, but for me, the key moment was when Norway could have taken control of the game. Sørloth had options and teammates calling for the ball but went alone. Football can be harsh — one decision can change a whole tournament. Norway were brave and should be proud, but I keep thinking about that moment,” Alfie said.
Still, Haaland will be proud of his World Cup showing, especially his impressive performance against Brazil, which many will remember as one of his best.