World Cup: ‘Hope you’ll win the trophy now’ – Erling Haaland’s father slams England
Father of Erling Haaland Criticizes Refereeing in World Cup Quarterfinal
Alfie Haaland, the father of Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, expressed disappointment following England’s 2-1 victory over Norway in the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, characterizing the match as a “robbery.”
In a statement, the elder Haaland alleged that the Norwegian team faced several unfair officiating decisions throughout the match. He remarked that the referee’s actions ultimately prevented England from suffering a defeat, adding in a sarcastic tone that he hopes the Three Lions win the tournament, despite the contentious officiating.
Haaland shared his thoughts on social media platform X, writing, “Really? Saved by the referee. Hope you win the WC now. But feel we got robbed today.”
Throughout the match, Norwegian players voiced their belief that several key refereeing decisions favored England. A significant moment came in the 53rd minute when Torbjorn Heggem’s goal was disallowed due to a foul committed by Erling Haaland against England’s Elliot Anderson during the buildup.
Additionally, Norwegian players argued that Jude Bellingham’s equalizer in the first half should not have counted. They contended that a goal kick from Orjan Nyland had made contact with an aerial camera before leading to Bellingham’s goal, pushing for a stop-and-restart procedure with a drop ball as mandated for such incidents.
However, FIFA later announced that the technology used to track the ball did not indicate any irregularities in the play preceding Bellingham’s goal, indicating that the ball did not hit the camera.
Norway had initially taken the lead in the 36th minute with a goal from Andreas Schjelderup. Bellingham responded with two goals (45+2′, 93′) that secured England’s comeback and the final victory over Norway, ending the match with a score of 2-1.
