Scotland’s much-anticipated return to the World Cup, after a lengthy 28-year hiatus, has been marred by a heated exchange with Norway. The Scottish side faced harsh criticism from Norwegian officials, who labeled their actions as “unprofessional,” “embarrassing,” and “weak” following the cancellation of a training match that was set to occur on Monday in Charlotte.
Both teams are currently training in North Carolina, and the match was intended to provide valuable playing time for squad members. However, Scotland opted to cancel the fixture on Saturday, largely due to concerns over an injury to Billy Gilmour, which he sustained during a recent friendly against Curaçao, sidelining him for the World Cup.
Norway’s Coach Expresses Outrage
Ståle Solbakken, the head coach of Norway, responded with visible anger at the situation. “I found it surprising and unprofessional on Scotland’s part,” he remarked. “It’s unprofessional that the coach hasn’t reached out to me directly; instead, they had the team manager inform me once our training session was concluded.”
“I don’t believe the injuries they are citing stemmed from the last training session. That’s simply not accurate. It’s disappointing and unprofessional, but we must accept it.”
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) clarified that there was no prior discussion regarding the match between Clarke and Solbakken; it had instead been arranged by team administrators.
Norwegian Officials Criticize Scotland
Norway’s team manager, Brede Hangeland, echoed Solbakken’s sentiments, expressing his frustration. “We invested significant time and effort into organizing this match over several months. It feels embarrassing to cancel it just days before the scheduled date. There were numerous arrangements and agreements made, and suddenly they decide not to follow through. I find that weak, to say the least,” he stated.
As tensions increased, a group of Norwegian journalists unexpectedly attended a press conference with John McGinn on Monday afternoon. Unsurprisingly, McGinn supported Scotland’s decision to cancel the match, asserting, “I would estimate that around 75% of the squad didn’t see the Norwegian comments, but I did.”
“Our responsibility is to prioritize Scotland. Norway’s focus is on their own team. If they had conducted proper research, they would know we lost a crucial player just before this camp, which significantly affected our preparations. We didn’t want to risk losing anyone else. We’ve been dealing with a few minor injuries and not everyone has been training consistently. I believe it’s a professional approach to prioritize our own needs. I’m confident other countries would do the same.”
McGinn added that Norway’s frustration likely stemmed from their own plans, noting, “Norway will be upset because they had their own strategies in place for the match. However, if they were to lose a key player like Erling Haaland or Martin Ødegaard leading up to this tournament, they would cancel the match as well.”
Clarke Defends His Decision
Steve Clarke shared a similar sentiment, albeit he made his remarks prior to the Norwegian backlash. “It was merely going to be a training session lasting an hour at our training facility,” he explained. “After picking up a couple of minor injuries last week, we deemed it not worth the risk to proceed with the game.”
The SFA released a statement condemning Norway for making the situation public. It read, “The training match was scheduled and coordinated between the respective team managers—not the head coaches—and this was the same procedure we followed when we regrettably had to cancel on Saturday. We have faced injuries during our previous friendlies, and when it became clear that participating in a training match posed a greater risk than potential benefits, we promptly informed the Norway team manager. We believe this was the right and appropriate course of action.”
Furthermore, the SFA commented on the confidentiality of the match, stating, “As this was intended to be a closed-door fixture, we were surprised when the news leaked via Norwegian media.”
In addition to Gilmour’s absence, Scotland is managing the fitness of Scott McKenna and Nathan Patterson, who have also experienced minor injuries. Ross Stewart had a brief knee issue before the tournament but appeared as a substitute during Scotland’s 4-0 victory against Bolivia on Saturday. Meanwhile, Norway played to a 1-1 draw with Morocco the following day.
