Scotland’s long-awaited return to the World Cup, a moment 28 years in the making, has been marred by a heated exchange with Norway. Following the announcement that a training match set for Monday in Charlotte was called off, officials from Norway described the Scots as “unprofessional,” “embarrassing,” and “weak.” In response to Norway’s discontent, Scotland expressed its “surprise” regarding the Norwegian response, and midfielder John McGinn urged critics to consider the team’s injury issues.
Both teams are currently based in North Carolina, and the friendly was intended to provide valuable playing time for those who needed it. However, Scotland decided to postpone the match on Saturday, primarily due to the injury suffered by Billy Gilmour during a recent friendly against Curaçao, which has ruled him out of the World Cup.
Norway’s head coach, Ståle Solbakken, was quick to express his frustration.
“It was surprising to me, and it is unprofessional of Scotland,”
he stated. “It is unprofessional that the coach has not called me; they used the team manager to inform us after we finished our training session.”
He further critiqued Scotland, asserting,
“I don’t believe the injuries they are citing stemmed from the last training session. That’s simply not true. It is disappointing and unprofessional, but we must move on.”
The Scottish FA clarified that the match had not been discussed directly between Clarke and Solbakken, but rather organized by the respective team administrators.
Brede Hangeland, Norway’s team manager, echoed Solbakken’s sentiments, stating,
“We have been preparing for this match for several months. It is embarrassing to cancel it just days before. We can’t change the situation now, so we need to move on and make the best of it. There were numerous arrangements and gentlemen’s agreements, and then suddenly they back out. I find that weak, to say the least.”
The situation escalated further when a group of Norwegian journalists unexpectedly attended McGinn’s press conference on Monday. Predictably, McGinn defended Scotland’s choice not to proceed with the match, remarking,
“I would estimate that 75% of the squad didn’t see the comments from Norway. I did, however.”
He went on to explain,
“Our priority is to look out for Scotland. Norway’s responsibility lies with their own team. If they had conducted their research, they would know we recently lost a crucial player right before this camp, which affected the entire squad. We were unwilling to risk losing another key player. We have had several minor injuries, and not everyone has been able to train. It makes sense to prioritize our own well-being. I’m confident that every nation would do the same.”
McGinn added,
“Norway will be frustrated because they had their own plans in place for that match. But if they lost Erling Haaland or Martin Ødegaard shortly before the tournament, they would likely cancel the game as well.”
In a similar vein, Clarke had previously expressed his indifference to the situation before Norway’s comments surfaced. He noted,
“It was merely intended to be a training exercise for one hour at our training facility. We encountered a couple of minor injuries last week and determined it wasn’t worth the risk.”
The Scottish FA also issued a statement that criticized Norway for making the situation public. It read:
“The training match was organized and coordinated between the respective team managers, not the head coaches, following the same procedure we adhered to when we had to cancel on Saturday.”
Furthermore, they explained,
“Given the injuries sustained during our prior friendlies, it became clear that holding a training match posed a greater risk than any potential benefits. We promptly informed the Norwegian team manager. We believe this approach was both appropriate and consistent.”
The statement continued,
“This game was also meant to be behind closed doors and not publicly announced, so we were taken aback when news of the match was leaked through Norwegian media.”
Alongside Gilmour’s absence, Scotland’s Scott McKenna and Nathan Patterson have had their training time limited due to minor injuries. Ross Stewart experienced a slight knee issue prior to the tournament but came off the bench during Scotland’s 4-0 victory over Bolivia on Saturday, while Norway drew 1-1 against Morocco the following day.
