Norway file FIFA complaint and flee hotel as problems mount before England World Cup quarter-final

Norway’s preparations for Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against England in Miami have been thrown into disarray after the squad filed an official complaint with FIFA and abandoned their five-star hotel in Fort Lauderdale, all while managing reports of illness within the camp.

Members of the Norway squad grew frustrated with persistent noise and basic logistical problems at The Dalmar hotel and made their feelings known to team management before escalating the matter to World Cup organisers FIFA. The squad subsequently relocated, with logistics manager Truls Daehli confirming the move was driven by the players themselves. “It is brutal having to move but we are satisfied with the new place and everyone is happy now,” Daehli said. “Some people might fear that this will affect the players, but it was the players who wanted this more than anyone else.”

Captain Martin Odegaard sought to frame the disruption as a problem solved rather than a crisis. “There were some things that could have been better and we fixed them, just to optimise and prepare ourselves as best as possible for an important match,” he said after volunteers helped complete the switch in two and a half hours.

The hotel chaos came alongside reports of a sickness bug sweeping through the Norway camp. Goalkeeper Orjan Nyland had suggested the team doctor was “very busy” dealing with illness, saying the source of the bug was unclear. However, head coach Staale Solbakken moved to downplay those claims, insisting only one person — team manual therapist Thomas Odegaard — had been unwell. “That story is greatly exaggerated. We have enough physiotherapists to handle it,” Solbakken said. Norway’s doctor Ola Sand backed that up, stating: “All players are healthy now. Very little fuss considering that we have been close together for almost six weeks.”

There are also signs of friction over selection, with the father of Atletico Madrid striker Alexander Sorloth revealing his son has been left irritated by being substituted. “He gets irritated about being taken off — he should be every day all year round, regardless of whether it’s the World Cup, the European Championship or a regular international match,” he said.

Norway reached the last eight by stunning Brazil, while England progressed past Mexico. Despite the turbulence in the Norwegian camp, their medical staff and captain are publicly confident the disruptions will have no bearing on Saturday’s match.