Ståle Solbakken, the head coach of the Norway national team, sparked widespread controversy over Jude Bellingham's opening goal in the 2026 World Cup quarter-final match that ended with England winning 2-1 after extra time, insisting that the ball hit the cable of the stadium's overhead camera system during the build-up, in an incident he described as 'unbelievable.'

In press statements following his team's elimination from the tournament, Solbakken said: 'We played at a very high level, but we were unlucky. That's life. We now need to take a break. We've faced many controversial situations, perhaps we've seen a lot of them in this World Cup, so these things happen. We just wish England all the best.'

Unbelievable

However, the Norwegian coach did not hide his great displeasure with the controversial incident, saying in a sharp tone: 'But for something like this to happen is unbelievable. It is inconceivable that the referees overlooked it. If the cable really stopped the ball, the referee should have resumed play with a throw-in,' clearly indicating that the goal should have been disallowed according to international rules.

The controversial incident concerns the goal scored by Bellingham just before the end of the first half, as the Norwegians claim that the ball hit the cable of the 'Spidercam' aerial camera system during a clearance at the start of the play, altering its trajectory and resulting in an attacking opportunity for England that ended with the equalizer.

The situation raises questions about the accuracy of the technical equipment used in the tournament, and whether the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) reviewed the incident sufficiently, especially as international rules stipulate that play should be restarted with a throw-in if the ball hits any external object suspended in the stadium.