Turpin at the centre of storm after Norway's elimination by England

Norway was eliminated from the World Cup on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium, losing 2-1 after extra time to England in the quarter-finals. But it is the refereeing of Clément Turpin that has monopolised the debate since the final whistle.

The first controversy erupted just before half-time, during Jude Bellingham’s equaliser. Norwegian players immediately demanded the goal be disallowed, convinced the ball had struck one of the aerial cables suspended above the pitch before ending up in the net. FIFA responded quickly by publishing a statement based on Connected Ball data, the sensor technology integrated into the ball used throughout the tournament. “Before England’s goal in the 45+2nd minute against Norway, the Connected Ball sensor recorded no spike when the ball was in the air. There is therefore no evidence that the ball touched the aerial cable or that its trajectory was altered,” the world governing body stated. The speed of this communication testifies to the sensitivity of the matter.

The second contentious episode came in the second half. Torbjorn Heggem thought he had restored Norway’s advantage following a scramble in the English penalty area, but VAR led Turpin to disallow the goal for a prior push by Erling Haaland on Elliot Anderson. This decision triggered anger from the Norwegian camp, starting with Alf-Inge Haaland, father of the Manchester City striker.

“Today, it’s the referee who won. That’s what I feel,” said the former Norwegian international. “Usually, I don’t like to talk about referees after a match, but when so many key moments go against one team, it’s impossible to ignore. Every major decision seemed to go in England’s favour. At this level, these are the moments that change the course of a match.” He concluded: “Tonight, I leave with the feeling that it’s not just football that had the greatest influence on the match.”

FIFA’s statement was not enough to extinguish the fire. In Norway, several observers believe that Clément Turpin’s decisions weighed heavily in the outcome of a match that sends England to the semi-finals.