The bitter row over England‘s equaliser against Norway at the World Cup has taken a fresh twist, with new evidence revealing that Jude Bellingham’s strike was right to stand after all.
The crucial goal, which fired the Three Lions back on level terms and inspired a dramatic comeback victory, has sparked plenty of controversy since the final whistle on Saturday night. Norway had insisted that the ball had struck one of the cables supporting an overhead TV camera before it fell to Elliot Anderson in the build-up. Head coach Stale Solbakken pointed the finger at FIFA afterwards, claiming that he saw it with his own eyes from the touchline.
That scenario should have seen play stopped and the goal disallowed for external interference. However, new video footage courtesy of FIFA proves that the ball did not touch the overhead cable at all.
In a video taken directly from the ‘spidercam’ itself, there is no wobble in the footage at the point of the ball supposedly hitting the cable. If a touch had occurred, the camera would have shaken.
The clip also shows a natural flight path of the ball, which is even clearer in a side-on angle obtained by the Daily Mail. The footage has been scrutinised by FIFA officials, who have found no evidence to suggest the goal should have been ruled out.
The balls used at this summer’s World Cup are also equipped with sensors, which are capable of detecting even the slightest of touches.
However, the data showed nothing as the ball was travelling through the air before it landed at the feet of Anderson, who started the move which led to the goal.
A statement from FIFA read: “The sensor in the Connected Ball showed no peak in the ‘heartbeat of the ball’ when in the air, and therefore no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire and changed the movement of the ball.”
That’s despite Solbakken insisting that ‘everybody’ saw the ball hit the cable in an impassioned press conference after the final whistle.
“Many on the bench reacted immediately,” said the Norway boss. “I was not one of them, but many of them saw it. He [the referee] says that he didn’t see it himself and that he didn’t get any message that it actually happened.
“That’s a good explanation and since FIFA says there was no touch and there was no signal from the chip of the ball, then he can’t do anything about it. The ball fell straight down, right in front of the bench, so it did touch it.
“I can’t say anything about that because if there was no sound from the chip, what can I say?
“The ball dropped down straight from heaven, says everyone, including the goalie, including the guy who was going to receive the ball. I think it was pretty clear that it did. It was a strange thing.”