Norway manager shares what the referee said about the England goal that sparked so much debate
Norway’s head coach Stale Solbakken shared what referee Clement Turpin said about Jude Bellingham’s controversial equaliser for England in their World Cup quarter-final match.
Norway believes Bellingham’s goal in the 47th minute shouldn’t have counted. They think the ball hit one of the spidercam wires hanging above the pitch, which changed the path of Norway’s goalkeeper Orjan Nyland’s kick.
According to the official football rules, if the ball touches a cable or any object hanging above the field and stays in play, the game should stop. If it’s clear the ball hit the wire, the goal should be cancelled, and play restarted with a drop ball.
FIFA later explained why the goal stood. They said the sensor in the ball showed no sign the ball hit the wire or changed direction because of it.
Despite this, Solbakken wasn’t convinced. Right after the referee blew for half-time, Solbakken could be seen questioning Turpin. After the match, he said Turpin admitted he didn’t see the ball touch the wire and got no message that it happened. So, based on FIFA’s statement, the referee couldn’t take any action.
Solbakken added, “The ball dropped right in front of our bench, so everyone saw it happen. I think it’s clear it touched the wire. It was a strange moment.” He continued, “We did everything we could, and our players were amazing all tournament. It was unlucky for us, but that’s football — unexpected things happen, and that’s why it’s the best sport. We have to accept it. I don’t think we’ll get a chance to play that game again, so that’s how it is.”
A clip from the BBC’s 3D replay viewer, which uses FIFA’s tracking technology, seems to show the ball hitting the cable. However, VAR didn’t step in, and Bellingham’s goal stood to make it 1-1.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg told Fox Sports, “VAR can step in if the ball hitting the cable affects the play. Since this happened during an attacking move that led to a goal, it should have been reviewed by VAR.”