Norway coach: Ball hit cable before England equalizer

Norway's coaching staff is contesting a crucial moment in their World Cup quarter-final defeat to England, alleging that a camera cable interfered with a goal kick before England's equalizer.

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When Ørjan kicked the ball out, it hit a cable for the camera, so the kick was much shorter than it should have been.

Assistant coach Kent Bergersen told Norwegian TV 2 that the ball struck a cable after goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland's kick, causing it to fall short. This, he claims, directly led to England regaining possession and Jude Bellingham scoring the 1-1 goal just before halftime.

Nyland reportedly pointed to the cable and protested to the French referee, Clément Turpin. However, former Norwegian player and VG expert Kjetil Rekdal expressed doubt that the officials noticed the incident, calling it "completely insane" that such a thing could happen.

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The referee should have looked closer at that.

FIFA has since released video of the incident, stating that data from the ball's internal sensor does not show it hitting a cable and altering its trajectory. England ultimately won the match 2-1 after extra time, with Bellingham scoring both goals. They will face the winner of the Argentina-Switzerland quarter-final in the semifinals.

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It is completely insane that something like that can happen. The referees cannot have noticed it.