Jude Bellingham's equaliser for England against Norway in the World Cup quarter-final should not have stood, according to former Premier League referee Mark Clattenberg, after the ball allegedly struck a sky camera cable in the build-up. FIFA has released a statement to address the controversy.
Controversial Build-Up
The incident occurred in the first half at the stadium in Miami, with Norway leading 1-0 through Andreas Schjelderup's opener. Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland's goal kick rebounded off the camera cable high above the pitch, dropping quickly back down to the players. England collected the ball, and two passes later, Real Madrid's Bellingham found the net to level the game.
American broadcaster FOX Sports showed a unique angle of the incident, with host Rebecca Lowe noting Clattenberg's input. Lowe said: "From Norway's goal kick the ball is actually touched by the camera cable above the stadium, and drops down very quickly. It comes back to England, and two passes later it's in the back of the net. Now after that, Stale Solbakken was not happy with the referee. The goalkeeper pointing up saying it touched that cable. The rule, we have spoken to our rules expert Mark Clattenberg, and he has said if the ball touches any outside object the whistle should go."
IFAB Rules and FIFA Response
According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), "if the object or agent interferes with play, the referee must stop play. Play is then restarted with a dropped ball at the position where the object made contact with the ball, player, or match official."
In a statement released to Sky Sports, FIFA insisted that there had been no contact with the wire: "We have checked the data from the adidas Connected Ball and it shows no peak on the graph from the heartbeat sensor."
Match Controversies
The quarter-final clash was packed with controversy. Norway saw a strike chalked off by VAR, while England also had a penalty appeal dismissed after Djed Spence's tumble in the box. Norway boss Stale Solbakken and his team were left furious after Bellingham's equaliser, believing the goal should have been disallowed.
Bellingham's goal was his fifth for England in World Cup competition, underlining his growing importance to the national team. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with the winner to be decided in extra time or penalties.
