FIFA rejects Norway’s complaint over possible spidercam contact before England goal

Former Norway World Cup star hits out at ‘complete scandal’ after England defeat

Norway were unhappy England’s equaliser was allowed to stand (Credits: REUTERS) Norway players past and present were left furious following their World Cup quarter-final defeat against England. The Three Lions roared into the final after eventually prevailing in extra-time courtesy of Jude Bellingham’s opportunistic winner. Norway had taken the lead in the 36th minute when Andreas Schjelderup’s miscued cross was misjudged by Jordan Pickford but the lead lasted last than 10 minutes. There appeared to be little wrong with Bellingham’s superb finish which capped a fine flowing move that involved Elliot Anderson and Anthony Gordon. Exclusive analysis of England v Norway Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter. Sign up now. Subsequent replays, however, appeared to show the ball hit one of the stadium wires from which the Miami Stadium’s spidercam is suspended from. FIFA subsequently claimed their technology did not detect contact that would have seen the goal ruled out, but former Norway international Erik Mykland, who represented his country at the 1998 World Cup, was livid. Before England’s goal in minute 45+2 against Norway, 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. pic.twitter.com/gYf9ukfveT— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) July 11, 2026 ‘It’s a complete scandal,’ the one-time Panathinaikos midfielder told Norwegian outlet Dagbladet. ‘It’s ironic that the technology that’s supposed to help us is destroying us.’ Further frustration followed for Norway 10 minutes into the second half when Torbjorn Lysaker Heggem’s goal was ruled out after VAR had adjudged that Anderson had been pushed by Erling Haaland before a corner kick had been taken. After enjoying several strokes of luck, England will now play either Argentina or Switzerland in the semi finals but head coach Thomas Tuchel acknowledged a far better display will be required. What should happen if the ball hits spider cam? (Getty) IFAB’s Law 8 clarifies that the ball is dropped for the team that would have retained/gained possession had play not been stopped, which includes the team that would have taken the restart in situations where the ball would have gone out of play. If play is stopped because the ball makes contact with: a match official (e.g. the referee) or an outside agent. The ball is dropped where the interference/contact occurred. Norway wanted Jude Bellingham’s equaliser for England ruled out (Getty) ‘We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today,’ he said. ‘The result is fantastic. We are in the last four. It’s amazing but not happy with the performance. – in every sense. ‘The commitment is there but we made life difficult for is in the way we played and how we played – sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough. We were lucky today. ‘It’s not the mentality. This is pure mentality. It’s not about mentality. You can bottle it up and sell it. It’s about the quality – we need to play better.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

1 hour ago

FIFA responds to Norway Spidercam complaint for England goal

FIFA deny the ball hit Spidecam’s cable before England’s first goal against Norway (Reuters) FIFA has dismissed Norway’s complaints about Jude Bellingham’s goal after the ball appeared to hit a cable connected to Spidercam in the build up to England’s equaliser in their World Cup quarter-final. Andreas Schjelderup put Norway ahead with what seemed to be a miss-hit cross in the 36th minute before Bellingham pulled England level shortly before the half-time whistle. However, England’s move for Bellingham’s equaliser started after the goal kick from Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland appeared to hit one of the cables which is connected to the overhead Spidercam at the Miami Stadium. After the ball seemingly struck the cable, it immediately changed path and dropped down to England midfielder Elliot Anderson and two passes later, Bellingham was able to finish brilliantly past Orjan to equalise. Exclusive analysis of England v Norway Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter. Sign up now. Norway were furious that VAR did not intervene and French referee Clement Turpin awarded the goal to England. The International FA Board (IFAB), which oversees the laws of football, states that if the ball hits Spidercam or one of its cables, the referee should give a drop ball at the point where the ball made contact. Norway wanted Jude Bellingham’s equaliser for England ruled out (Getty) This means that Bellingham’s goal should have been ruled out and Norway’s lead would have been preserved by the half-time break. However, FIFA has responded to Norway’s complaints and claims that officials ‘have checked the data and no peak on the graph from the connected ball heartbeat sensor’. Before England’s goal in minute 45+2 against Norway, 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. pic.twitter.com/gYf9ukfveT— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) July 11, 2026 A statement from FIFA read: ‘Before England’s goal in minute 45+2 against Norway, 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.’ Inside the World Cup match ball is built-in sensor chip which captures the ball’s position, speed, and exact kick point 500 times per second. The data is fed back to the team of officials who can detect whether a touch on the ball was made by the cable. What should happen if the ball hits spider cam? (Getty) IFAB’s Law 8 clarifies that the ball is dropped for the team that would have retained/gained possession had play not been stopped, which includes the team that would have taken the restart in situations where the ball would have gone out of play. If play is stopped because the ball makes contact with: a match official (e.g. the referee) or an outside agent. The ball is dropped where the interference/contact occurred. Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg said on Fox Sports: ‘Some will ask why did the VAR not interfere. Yes, they can intervene if the contact of the ball with the camera cable is part of the reviewable incident. ‘An attacking phase of play leading to a goal is part of the VAR reviewable incident so it should have been picked up by the VAR.’ Speaking at half time, Norway’s assistant coach Kent Bergersen told TV2: ‘Before the goal, Orjan hits the wire for the camera over the field, so the ball is shorter than it should have been. The referees should have looked into that.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

2 hours ago

Norway complain about Jude Bellingham goal in England World Cup game

Jude Bellingham equalised for England in their World Cup quarter-final against Norway (EPA) Norway were furious with Jude Bellingham’s equaliser for England in their World Cup quarter-final after the ball hit an overhead camera cable in the build up to the goal. Andreas Schjelderup put Norway ahead with what appeared to be a mis-hit cross in the 36th minute before Bellingham pulled England level shortly before the half-time break. However, England’s move started after the goal kick from Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland hit one of the cables which is connected to the overhead spider cam at the Miami Stadium. After the ball struck the cable, it immediately changed path and dropped down to Elliot Anderson and two passes later, Bellingham was able to finish brilliantly past Orjan to equalise for England. Exclusive analysis of England v Norway Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter. Sign up now. Norway head coach, Stale Solbakken, was remonstrating with French referee Clement Turpin after the half-time whistle over allowing the decision to stand. The International FA Board (IFAB), which oversees the laws of football, states that the referee should have ruled out the goal and given a drop ball at the point where the ball hit the cable overhead. Stale Solbakken was unhappy with referee Clement Turpin after the half-time whistle (EPA) The spider cam operating during England’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway (Getty) Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg said on Fox Sports: ‘Some will ask why did the VAR not interfere. Yes, they can intervene if the contact of the ball with the camera cable is part of the reviewable incident. ‘An attacking phase of play leading to a goal is part of the VAR reviewable incident so it should have been picked up by the VAR.’ Speaking at half time, Norway’s assistant coach Kent Bergersen told TV2: Before the goal, Orjan hits the wire for the camera over the field, so the ball is shorter than it should have been. The referees should have looked into that.’ What should happen if the ball hits spider cam? (Getty) IFAB’s Law 8 clarifies that the ball is dropped for the team that would have retained/gained possession had play not been stopped, which includes the team that would have taken the restart in situations where the ball would have gone out of play. If play is stopped because the ball makes contact with: a match official (e.g. the referee) or an outside agent. The ball is dropped where the interference/contact occurred. Typically, the pundits for Norwegian broadcaster TV2 were also unhappy that England’s equaliser was allowed to stand. ‘If that ball hit the drone camera or a wire, this is a scandal, then it should have been a draw and not 1-1,’ said TV2 pundit Kristoffer Lokberg. ‘I have no words. I have not witnessed anything like this before. If this becomes decisive, it will remain as one of the biggest World Cup scandals of all time.’ His fellow TV2 analyst, Erik Torp, added: ‘If it turns out that the ball hit the cable, we are in for the refereeing scandal of the ages, seen through Norwegian eyes.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

2 hours ago