Norway head coach Stale Solbakken has revealed what referee Clement Turpin said about Jude Bellingham's controversial equaliser for England in their World Cup quarter-final clash. The Norwegian side felt strongly that the goal in the 47th minute should have been disallowed. They believed the ball struck a spidercam wire suspended above the pitch, altering the trajectory of a goal kick from Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland.
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Subscribe Sekarang →According to the IFAB Laws of the Game, if the ball strikes an overhead fixture like a cable or camera and remains inside the field of play, the match must be halted. Had it been determined that the ball touched the wire, the goal would have been cancelled. Play would then have restarted with a dropped ball, but the official decision allowed the sequence to stand.
FIFA later issued a statement explaining why the goal stood. According to the governing body, the sensor inside the Connected Ball showed no peak in the data while in the air. This indicated no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire or changed its movement. However, Solbakken remained unconvinced and confronted the French official shortly after the half-time whistle.
Speaking during his post-match media duties, Solbakken revealed what Turpin told him on the pitch. "He said that he didn't see it himself and that he didn't get any message that it actually happened," Solbakken said. The manager noted that since FIFA claimed there was no touch, the referee could not act, though he maintained that everyone on the bench saw the ball drop strangely.
The manager refused to dwell on bitterness despite the exit from the tournament. "I can sit here and cry but I don't want to do that," Solbakken stated. He praised his players for being phenomenal throughout the tournament. He accepted the bizarre moment as a part of football, noting that the ball fell straight from the sky, caused a misunderstanding, and created a bad moment for his team.
Based on a report by the BBC, a clip from their 3D replay viewer, which uses official tracking technology, appeared to show the ball making contact with the suspended cable. Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg commented on the broadcast that VAR should have intervened, as an attacking phase leading to a goal is a reviewable incident.