Alfie Haaland doesn’t do quiet exits. The former Premier League player and father of Erling Haaland took to social media after Norway’s 2-1 extra-time loss to England in the World Cup quarterfinal and let the referee have it. His target? Clement Turpin.
“Well done, Bellingham and referee,” Haaland wrote on X. That’s it. No congratulations to England. No tip of the cap to a dramatic knockout game. Just a quick nod to Jude Bellingham — who scored both goals — and then a sarcastic jab at the official.
The 53-year-old wasn’t subtle about what set him off. It goes back to England’s equalizer in regulation time. Right before that goal, replays showed the ball hitting the suspension cable of a SkyCam camera above the field. Under standard FIFA rules, that should have stopped play. No goal. But the referee let it go.
The SkyCam Controversy
Here’s where it gets fuzzy. FIFA came out during the match and said the ball’s internal sensor detected nothing unusual. No so-called “heartbeat” signal that would indicate a touch or a change in movement. According to the governing body, there was “no evidence that the ball touched the cable and changed the movement of the ball.” So they ruled the goal stood.
That explanation didn’t satisfy Haaland Sr. And he’s probably not alone among Norwegian fans. The ball clearly appears to brush the cable in the broadcast footage. But FIFA’s tech says otherwise. It’s one of those incidents that’ll get debated in bars and on forums for a while, especially because the game was that tight.
Alfie’s Track Record
This isn’t out of character for Alfie Haaland. He’s been loud about his son’s career since Erling started putting up ridiculous numbers at Salzburg. During the 2022-23 Premier League season, he famously clapped back at Roy Keane on Irish TV. He’s not shy. So singling out Turpin after a World Cup elimination fits the pattern.
The bigger question is whether FIFA will address the camera rigging issue going forward. These overhead cable cameras are standard in major tournaments. If they’re hanging low enough to interfere with a ball in open play, that’s a design problem. But for now, Norway is out. England moves on. And Alfie Haaland has a new name on his list.
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