Norway coach Solbakken slams Scotland's 'unprofessional' match cancellation

Norway's national football team coach, Ståle Solbakken, has sharply criticized Scotland's decision to cancel a scheduled friendly match, labeling the move "unprofessional."

Solbakken expressed surprise and frustration at the abrupt cancellation, which occurred shortly before the match was set to take place. He stated that he was caught off guard and that the communication from the Scottish team was inadequate. "It was at least as surprising for me, and it is unprofessional of Scotland," Solbakken said during a press conference. "It is unprofessional that the coach has not called me. It is unprofessional that they use the team manager and call Are (Hokstad) and say it after we have completed training yesterday."

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It was at least as surprising for me, and it is unprofessional of Scotland. It is unprofessional that the coach has not called me. It is unprofessional that they use the team manager and call Are (Hokstad) and say it after we have completed training yesterday.

The Scottish Football Association cited player injuries as the reason for withdrawing from the match. However, Solbakken questioned the validity of this explanation. "I don't expect the injuries they are blaming came in the last training session. That's not how it is. It's disappointing. It's unprofessional. But we have to live with it," he added.

This situation is particularly noteworthy as Scotland's manager, Steve Clarke, had expressed satisfaction after their own recent 4-0 victory over Bolivia, specifically mentioning that the team had avoided injuries. This apparent contradiction has led to skepticism from Norwegian commentators and Solbakken himself, who suggested that if injuries were the issue, Scotland should have been aware of them prior to their own match and communicated more directly.

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I don't expect the injuries they are blaming came in the last training session. That's not how it is. It's disappointing. It's unprofessional. But we have to live with it.