England have knocked Norway out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a thrilling quarterfinal game.
Norway managed to push England on the back foot with a 1-0 lead, but Jude Bellingham pulled off a stunning equalizer in added time of the first half.
While the finish was amazing, the goal led to major discourse on social media as the ball hit a camera during the buildup play.
FIFA shows proof that camera interference had no impact on Jude Bellingham’s goal
Ideally, the game should have been restarted after the ball hit a camera. However, no VAR check was done, and Bellingham’s equalizer stood as England tied the game at 1-1.
Despite that, soccer fans didn’t stay silent, which led to FIFA posting an official answer using its ball-sensor technology.
“Before England’s goal in minute 45+2 against Norway, 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,” FIFA explained on X.
Although the graph showed no peak, many fans still called out the decision as they could see the interference with their naked eyes.
Additionally, some fans compared it to the controversial decision in the earlier Portugal vs. Croatia game, where the sensors detected a spike after the ball slightly touched the hair of a player.
Ultimately, this goal gave England a shot at a comeback, which was completed by Bellingham’s 93rd-minute winner in extra time.
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