Erling Haaland's Father Fumes After England's WC Win, Suggests Norway Were 'Robbed'

Last Updated:July 12, 2026, 12:49 IST

Erling Haaland's father Alfie accused the referee of favouring England after Norway's controversial World Cup exit, reigniting debate over the Spidercam incident and key decisions.

Norway’s historic FIFA World Cup run ended in heartbreaking fashion against England, but it was Erling Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge “Alfie" Haaland, who grabbed headlines after the final whistle with a furious reaction to the officiating.

England defeated Norway 2-1 after extra time in Miami to book a place in the World Cup semi-finals, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice after Andreas Schjelderup had given Norway the lead.

The biggest talking point came just before England’s first goal. Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland’s long clearance appeared to strike the FIFA-approved Spidercam before dropping kindly for England to launch the attack that led to Bellingham’s equaliser.

Norway’s bench protested immediately, arguing play should have been stopped for outside interference. FIFA later maintained that its sensors did not detect contact between the ball and the Spidercam.

Following the match, Alfie Haaland took aim at the officials.

Several additional quotes attributed to Alfie Haaland also circulated on social media, in which he allegedly claimed that “the referee won" the match and criticised several decisions, including the disallowed goal for Torbjørn Heggem. However, those longer remarks have not been independently verified.

According to reports from inside the stadium, Alfie was also visibly animated during the match and was alleged to have shouted towards the pitch following a number of contentious decisions.

Erling Haaland, meanwhile, struck a far more measured tone after Norway’s campaign came to an end. The Manchester City striker, who had scored seven goals in his first four matches of the tournament, was kept off the scoresheet for the first time as England’s defence successfully contained him.

“This has been an insane journey," Haaland said after the match.

Norway ultimately bowed out at the quarter-final stage, but their run marked the nation’s best-ever performance at a FIFA World Cup, while England advanced to a blockbuster semi-final against Argentina.

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Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His...Read More

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