Alf-Inge Haaland criticised the referee after Norway lost 2-1 to England in the World Cup quarter-finals in Miami. He claimed the officials denied Norway a deserved victory.
England, managed by Thomas Tuchel, secured their place in the semi-finals after a dramatic contest. However, the match sparked controversy because of several key refereeing decisions.
The biggest talking point came when referee disallowed Torbjorn Heggem’s second-half goal. The effort would have given Norway a 2-1 advantage during a tense period.
Instead, the referee awarded a foul against Erling Haaland during the corner. Officials ruled that the striker pushed England midfielder Elliot Anderson before Heggem finished the move.
After the final whistle, Alf-Inge Haaland voiced his frustration on social media. He responded to journalist Henry Winter by claiming the referee had saved England.
Moreover, he wrote that he hoped England would now win the World Cup. Nevertheless, he insisted Norway had been robbed of a fair result.
Earlier, he also reacted to Jude Bellingham’s decisive winning goal with a sarcastic message. He congratulated both Bellingham and the referee in the same post.
Meanwhile, television cameras captured Alf-Inge Haaland making a two-finger gesture toward someone in the crowd. The incident followed a disputed penalty appeal involving England defender Djed Spence.
Haaland believed Spence had gone down too easily to earn the penalty. However, the referee reviewed the incident with VAR before overturning the original decision.
Although VAR corrected the penalty call, Haaland’s father maintained his criticism of the overall officiating. Consequently, his comments quickly attracted widespread attention across football fans and social media.
The defeat ended Norway’s World Cup campaign despite a determined performance. Meanwhile, England advanced to the semi-finals while debate over the controversial refereeing decisions continued.
