FIFA has reviewed footage and data indicating that Jude Bellingham's controversial opening goal for England against Norway was legitimate, despite Norwegian protests that the ball struck a camera cable.
Norway had claimed that a goal kick from their goalkeeper, Orjan Nyland, hit a cable for the overhead "Spidercam" before falling to England, who then scored. Under the laws of the game, if a ball in play strikes a fixture such as a cable, play should be halted and a dropped ball awarded to the team that last touched it.
However, FIFA stated that "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 footballs used in the tournament are equipped with a microchip that provides real-time data on ball movement, speed, and trajectory, which is relayed to the VAR system. This "connected ball technology" allows for faster officiating decisions.
According to the Daily Mail, footage from behind the goal, which appears to show a sudden drop, is from the Spidercam itself. If a cable had been struck, the camera would have visibly shaken. Additional footage from the side angle shows what appears to be a natural arc and dip of the ball. Furthermore, a graph generated from the ball's internal sensor shows only three distinct spikes during the sequence of play: when Nyland took the goal kick, when England's Elliot Anderson controlled the ball, and when it hit the ground. A fourth spike would have indicated contact with the cable.
Despite FIFA's findings, Norway's players remain unconvinced. Midfielder Sander Berge called the explanation "ridiculous," asserting that "small margins" determined the outcome and that "it was pretty clear that it did" hit the cable. Manager Stale Solbakken noted that many on the bench reacted immediately, believing the ball had struck the wire, and that it "dropped down straight from heaven." He acknowledged the referee did not see the incident and received no signal from the ball's chip, thus preventing any intervention.
This incident follows other controversies involving the connected ball technology during the tournament. Sweden had a goal allowed against Tunisia after the ball's sensor confirmed a slight touch, and Croatia had a late equalizer disallowed against Portugal when sensors indicated an offside touch via Igor Matanovic's hair, a decision Croatia disputed as not affecting the ball's trajectory.