Alfie Haaland, father of Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland, has publicly stated that his team was unfairly treated during their 2-1 quarterfinal loss to England in the World Cup. The controversy centers on England's equalizer in the first half, which appeared to be preceded by the ball striking a camera cable.
FIFA maintained that there was "no evidence" of the ball's trajectory being altered by the cable. The organization cited sensor data from the Connected Ball, which indicated no abnormal "heartbeat" in the ball while in the air before it fell to an England player, sparking a counterattack. According to FIFA rules, if the ball had indeed hit the cable, play should have been stopped and restarted with a drop ball.
Despite FIFA's explanation, Norway's protests after the goal were extensive, and their manager, Ståle Solbakken, remained unconvinced. Solbakken stated it was "pretty clear" that the equalizer should not have counted, describing the ball's descent as if it "fell straight from heaven." Alfie Haaland echoed these sentiments on social media, writing, "Hope you win the WC now. But feel we got robbed today."
The use of sensor technology in the ball has been central to other disputed calls in the tournament. In a previous match, Croatia's equalizer against Portugal in extra time was disallowed after it was determined the ball had grazed a player's head, leading to an offside call. Erling Haaland himself was kept relatively quiet during England's victory over Norway.