Ian Wright has hit back at Alf-Inge Haaland’s criticism of the referee following Norway’s narrow defeat to England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final.
A report by Daily Post on July 12, 2026, stated that Alf-Inge Haaland, former Norway international and father of current captain Erling Haaland, accused the officials of making biased decisions during the match, which ended in a 2-1 win for England in Miami.
Wright disagreed with Haaland’s claims, saying Norway’s elimination was influenced by their own errors rather than poor officiating. The former Arsenal forward highlighted Erling Haaland’s late challenge on England’s Elliot Anderson, insisting that the striker’s push was a clear foul.
Norway opened the scoring in the 36th minute through Andreas Schjelderup, but England responded before the break when Jude Bellingham scored an impressive equaliser.
The Real Madrid midfielder then completed his brace in extra time after Norwegian goalkeeper Orjan Nyland made a costly mistake, giving England the victory and securing their place in the semi-finals.
The quarter-final clash was surrounded by several disputed moments. Norway argued that the ball touched a Spidercam cable before Bellingham’s first goal, while they were also unhappy after Heggem’s goal was cancelled following a challenge involving Anderson and a Norwegian player.
After the game, Alf-Inge Haaland reacted to Fabrizio Romano’s post on X, where the transfer journalist wrote, “Well done Bellingham and referee.”
Haaland replied to the post, saying, “Well done Bellingham and referee.” He later responded to Henry Winter’s praise of Bellingham by adding, “We felt we had a fair result.”
However, he continued by saying, “Hope you win the World Cup now. But I feel we were robbed today.”
Wright addressed the comments during an episode of the Stick to Football podcast, questioning whether Haaland’s remarks were made out of frustration.
“Is that sour grapes from Alf-Inge Haaland, saying well done to Bellingham and the referee? I thought that was a little unfair from him,” Wright said.
He further criticised Erling Haaland’s action against Anderson, stating that the Norwegian forward had no reason to make such a forceful challenge.
“He cannot be referring to that situation because it was an unbelievable push. Given that he is much taller and stronger, why did he need to challenge him so aggressively? It was a huge foul,” Wright added.
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