FIFA finds "no evidence" that ball hit wire in key moment of England vs. Norway quarterfinal
NBC Sports • • sports
Key Points:
- During the World Cup quarterfinal between England and Norway, the ball apparently struck an overhead wire during first-half stoppage time, influencing the play that led to England's decisive goal by Jude Bellingham.
- FIFA denied any evidence of the ball hitting a foreign object, citing sensor data from the Connected Ball that showed no unusual impact or movement.
- According to the rules, if play is stopped due to a foreign object interference, a drop ball should resume play; however, since the incident went unnoticed, England retained possession and scored shortly after.
- A similar incident occurred during a Vikings-Browns NFL game in England last season, where a kick appeared to hit an overhead wire, but the NFL attributed it to an optical illusion and chose not to highlight the event.
- Both FIFA and the NFL seem reluctant to acknowledge these incidents publicly, despite clear visual evidence suggesting interference from overhead wires.
