England scores in World Cup match with Norway after ball appears to hit camera cable over field
England defeated Norway 2-1 in a World Cup quarterfinal match marred by controversy over a potential ball-to-cable collision. FIFA utilized internal ball sensor data to conclude the ball did not strike the Spidercam wire.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the growing reliance on and debate surrounding sensor-based officiating technology in professional sports.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — A goal kick appeared to clip a cable over the field late in the first half of the England-Norway match in the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday, shortly before England's Jude Bellingham scored the tying goal.
By rule, if the ball had been noticed hitting the cable, play would have stopped and a drop ball would have been utilized to determine possession. FIFA, more than an hour afterward, said there was “no evidence” that the ball hit the wire — citing technology in the ball.
“Before England’s goal ... the sensor in the Connected Ball showed no peak in the ‘heartbeat of the ball’ when in the air, and therefore no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire and changed the movement of the ball,” FIFA said.
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