Norway shield Haaland from press duties as Solbakken cites Man City verdict distraction

Erling Haaland was excused from Norway’s pre-match media duties ahead of Sunday’s Nations League fixture against Portugal, with head coach Stale Solbakken confirming the decision was taken to shield the striker from questions surrounding Manchester City’s guilty verdict on 114 of 115 Premier League charges brought against the club in 2023.

Solbakken said the move was designed to give Haaland the best possible conditions to focus on football rather than the off-field storm engulfing his club. “Of course, it is because we want to concentrate and give him the best possible conditions to concentrate on the match,” the Norway manager told reporters. “You all know what the topic has been for the last 24 hours.”

The coach pointed to a similar situation involving Spain midfielder Rodri, who faced a sustained barrage of questions about the City verdict during Spain’s own pre-match press conference on Friday evening, with the team’s player representative ultimately cutting the session short. “A good example of that was the press conference Rodri had yesterday,” Solbakken said. “Therefore, I think it is timely that he concentrates on what he should do, and that is to score goals for Norway.”

Haaland arrived in the Norway camp in form, netting twice in a 3-2 victory over Denmark on Thursday evening. Solbakken confirmed the 26-year-old is in good shape and expected to start against Portugal, adding that “it’s going well” for the striker within the international setup.

The Norway coach also clarified that the decision to excuse Haaland from the press conference was not his alone, suggesting the call was made collectively to manage the situation around the player.

Back in Manchester, City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak issued an open letter to supporters on Saturday reaffirming the club’s position. The letter emphasised that City would continue to maintain their innocence, as they have throughout the lengthy legal process, and the club are expected to lodge a formal appeal against Friday’s verdict.