Robbed by the Spidercam?! Norway erupts after highly controversial England goal!

11.07.26 AET World Cup

Norway

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England

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VAR official Jerome Brisard triggered fresh outrage during Saturday's World Cup quarter final over a controversial spidercam incident.

During England's tense quarter-final clash against Norway, a massive wave of controversy erupted on social media just before halftime. Video clips quickly circulated showing a clearance flying through the air, with strong suspicions that the ball clipped the overhead spidercam or its supporting wires.

The ball dropped to Anthony Gordon who quickly picked out Jude Bellingham to smash home the equalizer in the 45+2 minute. Norway’s players and coaching staff immediately swarmed the officials, furiously arguing that play should have been stopped under tournament regulations if the ball made contact with overhead equipment.

FIFA defends high-tech ball data

FIFA quickly moved to shut down the protests by releasing a formal statement defending the decision to allow the goal. According to soccer's governing body, the high-tech connected ball technology embedded inside the match ball proved there was absolutely no contact.

FIFA explained that the internal microchip sensor which measures spatial movement and impact, did not register any pulse or peak spike while the ball was in mid-air. With no technical proof of a trajectory alteration or wire contact, the VAR room determined the goal was completely clean.

A familiar villain for African fans

The man behind the VAR monitors in Miami was French official Jérôme Brisard, a name that instantly triggered fury across the Mediterranean. Just days prior, Brisard was the exact same video assistant referee who drew intense condemnation from the Egyptian Football Association during their dramatic Round of 16 loss to Argentina.

Egyptian fans remember Brisard as the official who advised the referee to scratch Mostafa Zico’s potential second goal while later ignoring a blatant shirt-pull on Hamdy Fathy and a foul on Mohamed Salah just seconds before Argentina scored their stoppage time winner.

When technology clashes with reality?

This is not the first time overhead camera equipment has disrupted high stakes football. During the World Cup 2022 in Qatar, a similar incident occurred when a clearance appeared to graze the spidercam cables during a high profile group match causing brief confusion on the pitch before officials waved play on.

Statistically modern stadium cameras hang roughly 20 to 25 meters above the grass meaning only massive clearances or long switch balls ever threaten to interfere with live play.

Under official IFAB rules, if a ball strikes an overhead object, the referee must immediately halt play and award a dropped ball. While Norway will feel aggrieved by the visual ambiguity on television replays, FIFA’s unwavering trust in microchip tracking confirms that in 2026, data chips carry far more weight than the naked eye of a frustrated defender.

Khaled Hegazy |

Editorar, en

Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.

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