The International FA Board's Laws of Football specify that the referee should have ruled out England's equalizing goal against Norway in their World Cup quarter-final match.
The goal was scored by Jude Bellingham, but controversy surrounds the fact that the ball made contact with a spider cam cable above the field before being headed into the goal.
Norway's head coach, Stale Solbakken, expressed his dissatisfaction with the refereeing decision, arguing that the goal should have been disallowed and a drop ball given at the point where the ball hit the cable.
According to the Laws of Football, the ball is dropped for the team that would have retained or gained possession had play not been stopped, which in this case, would have been Norway.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg opined that the VAR should have intervened in the situation, as the contact of the ball with the camera cable was part of the reviewable incident.
Norway's assistant coach Kent Bergersen also expressed frustration, stating that the referees should have looked into the situation, as the ball was shorter than it should have been due to the interference of the spider cam cable.
TV2 pundits Kristoffer Lokberg and Erik Torp were also critical of the refereeing decision, labeling it a scandal that could have a significant impact on the outcome of the match.
The IFAB's Laws of Football specify that if the ball makes contact with an outside agent, such as a match official or an outside object, the ball is dropped where the interference/contact occurred.
This incident has sparked a heated debate over the application of the Laws of Football and the role of VAR in refereeing decisions.
