FIFA has moved to defend the officiating in England’s dramatic World Cup quarterfinal victory over Norway, addressing a controversial passage of play that saw Jude Bellingham’s equalizer stand despite replays appearing to show the ball striking an overhead camera cable moments earlier.
The incident unfolded in the first half at Miami Stadium, where Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland sent a goal kick upfield that appeared to clip one of the suspended cables connected to the stadium’s robotic skycam system, altering its trajectory before it dropped to Elliot Anderson.
After Anderson got the ball, England worked the ball forward and two passes later it found Bellingham, who finished emphatically to make it 1-1 just before halftime.
Norway’s players and coaching staff, including manager Stale Solbakken, immediately protested to the officials, arguing the ball should have been ruled out of play once it made contact with an object outside the field of play.
Referee Clement Turpin allowed play to continue without a VAR intervention, and FIFA later confirmed why. According to the governing body, the tournament’s connected match ball is fitted with a sensor that registers even minimal contact, and a check of that data showed no anomaly, or “peak,” at the moment in question, meaning there was no recorded evidence the ball had struck the cable at all.
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Bellingham scores a brace to put England in the semifinals with 2-1 victory over Norway
England awaits for rival
Having sealed their place in the last four, England now know only half of the equation. The Three Lions will face the winner of Argentina and Switzerland, who meet at Kansas City Stadium for the tournament’s final semifinal spot. England’s semifinal is set for Wednesday, July 15, at the Atlanta Stadium.
The other half of the bracket is already decided. France and Spain, both already through, meet a day earlier, on Tuesday, July 14, at Dallas Stadium, in a rematch of the 2024 Euro semifinals that will produce the first finalist of this tournament.
