Erling Haaland's Father Says Norway Were 'Robbed' After England Win

By Shivam Kumar | Senior Sports Reporter

Alf-Inge Haaland accused the referee of favouring England after Norway's FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign ended with a 2-1 extra-time defeat in the quarter-finals. The former Norway international used social media to congratulate Jude Bellingham before taking a pointed swipe at the match officials, insisting his country had been "robbed".

The comments came shortly after England progressed to the semi-finals in Miami thanks to Bellingham's brace. Norway's players and coaching staff also questioned several officiating decisions, with two incidents dominating discussion after the final whistle: England's equaliser following Ørjan Nyland's long clearance and the VAR decision that ruled out Torbjørn Heggem's second-half goal after Erling Haaland was judged to have fouled Elliot Anderson before the corner was taken.

Norway's frustration centred on a sequence late in the first half when goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland launched a long clearance that appeared to change direction before reaching England's Elliot Anderson, whose involvement led to Jude Bellingham's equaliser.

FIFA later stated that the sensor embedded inside the official match ball showed no evidence that the ball had struck the overhead cable, dismissing suggestions that play should have been stopped before England's goal.

Despite that explanation, Alf-Inge Haaland remained unconvinced.

That message was posted in response to a social media post congratulating England's midfielder after the match.

Alf-Inge later expanded on his feelings with another message.

Norway's second major complaint arrived early in the second half.

Torbjørn Heggem thought he had equalised from Martin Ødegaard's corner after the ball reached him at the far post. However, VAR advised the referee to review an earlier incident inside the penalty area, where Erling Haaland had been deemed to have pushed England midfielder Elliot Anderson before the ball entered play.

Following the review, the goal was ruled out.

Haaland disagreed with the decision after the match.

Attention also focused on the unusual trajectory of Nyland's clearance before England's equaliser.

Television replays prompted speculation that the ball may have clipped an overhead cable suspended above the pitch. Under FIFA competition regulations, such contact would normally require play to be restarted.

FIFA responded after the match, stating that the connected-ball technology detected no contact between the ball and the cable. The governing body said the data from the embedded chip confirmed the ball's flight had not been altered by striking any external object.

That explanation addressed one of Norway's principal complaints, although it did little to change the reaction from players, coaches and supporters.

England's victory sends the Three Lions into another FIFA World Cup semi-final, where they remain in contention for a first world title since 1966.

For Norway, the defeat ends a memorable tournament that saw Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard guide the nation to its first World Cup quarter-final in decades. Attention has now shifted from the result itself to the refereeing decisions that shaped key moments of the contest and the strong reactions that followed.

England will now prepare for the semi-finals, while Norway's post-match complaints are likely to remain part of the wider discussion surrounding one of the most debated matches of the tournament.