Norway boss Stale Solbakken has rejected claims that Manchester City asked him to shield Erling Haaland from the media ahead of Thursday's Nations League clash with Wales, calling the suggestion a lie.
Decision was mine, says Solbakken
Haaland was originally scheduled to face reporters on Saturday before Norway's meeting with Portugal. However, the Manchester City striker was replaced at the press conference by Fredrik Aursnes and Andreas Schjelderup, shortly after news emerged that City had been found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules. The club has denied the allegations and is expected to appeal.
Haaland subsequently started against Portugal and scored, although Norway suffered a 2-1 defeat in Oslo. With Wales now preparing to face Norway in Cardiff on Thursday, Solbakken has insisted the decision to spare Haaland from media duties was his own.
Integrity undermined
Speaking to VG, Solbakken said: "I haven’t spoken to anyone at Manchester City about the media since Erling was to move from Dortmund to City. That was the last time I spoke to City about the media."
"It's a lie. It also undermines my integrity. I go to great lengths to be honest because this is the people’s national team. I try to give my all and that of the team. This was a decision I made [giving him a day off on Saturday] without informing Erling. I just said: 'You can let this go. If you want to go, then you go. But for me you are exempt'."
Focus on Portugal and Wales
Solbakken had previously explained that he wanted Haaland to be able to concentrate fully on Sunday's match with Portugal, with the City case dominating the headlines in the build-up. The striker had already made a flying start to the Nations League campaign, scoring twice in Norway's 3-2 victory over Denmark before finding the net again against Portugal.
Now Wales face the task of stopping the Manchester City forward when the sides meet at Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday. Solbakken is due to hold a press conference alongside a player in Cardiff on Wednesday afternoon, with Haaland likely to be stood down again.
