Norway manager Solbakken slams ‘unprofessional’ Scotland over friendly cancellation
Soccer Football – International Friendly – Norway v Switzerland – Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway – March 31, 2026 Norway coach Stale Solbakken reacts Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NORWAY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORWAY.
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June 8 : Norway manager Stale Solbakken heavily criticized Scotland counterpart Steve Clarke on Monday, branding Scotland “unprofessional” after they unexpectedly cancelled a planned behind-closed-doors training match, citing player injuries.
The fixture, scheduled for Monday at Scotland’s training camp in Charlotte, North Carolina, was arranged months in advance to give fringe players match practice ahead of the World Cup.
However, the Norwegian camp was notified of the cancellation late on Friday night following their final training session, forcing Solbakken to alter his tactical approach for Sunday’s 1-1 friendly draw against Morocco in New Jersey.
“It was just as surprising to me, and it is unprofessional of Scotland,” Solbakken told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
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“It’s unprofessional that their manager didn’t call me personally, that they used their team manager to call and tell us this after we completed training. I don’t believe the injuries they are blaming this on happened during their last session.”
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke played down the disruption on Sunday evening, telling the BBC that the match was only meant to be a one-hour training ground exercise.
Clarke added that his squad had picked up some minor injuries during the week and decided against fulfilling the fixture, just a little more than a day after Scotland cruised to a 4-0 friendly victory over Bolivia.
“We picked up one or two niggles last week and decided it wasn’t worth the risk,” he said.
The sudden cancellation has drawn sharp rebukes from senior Norwegian figures and players, including striker Alexander Sorloth, who called the decision “a great shame and quite unprofessional.”
Norway will open their World Cup campaign against Iraq on June 16, while Scotland start against Haiti on June 14.
Source: Reuters
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