England booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals with a dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice to send Thomas Tuchel's side through. However, much of the post-match discussion centred not on Bellingham's heroics but on a bizarre incident in first-half stoppage time that preluded his equaliser.
With Norway leading 1-0 in the first-half added time, goalkeeper Orjan Nyland launched a long goal-kick that appeared to change direction mid-flight, prompting Norway's defenders to briefly stop, believing the ball had struck one of the overhead cables supporting the stadium's Skycam system.
Under FIFA's Laws of the Game, play should be stopped if the ball touches an outside object such as an overhead camera wire. Referee Clement Turpin, however, allowed play to continue, with Elliot Anderson quickly gathering the loose ball before releasing Bellingham, who surged past two defenders and calmly slotted home England's equaliser.
The goal sparked furious protests from the Norwegian players, who argued the apparent deflection should have resulted in play being halted. Goalkeeper Nyland immediately confronted the referee, while captain Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland also voiced their frustrations before the teams headed into the tunnel at half-time.
As clips of the incident quickly spread online, FIFA moved to clarify the decision after the match. Rather than relying solely on television replays, the governing body cited data from the Connected Ball technology used throughout the tournament.
According to FIFA, the inertial sensor embedded inside the official match ball detected no impact or abnormal vibration while the ball was airborne, meaning there was no evidence it had made contact with the overhead cable. FIFA concluded that the perceived change in trajectory was likely caused by camera angles or environmental conditions, confirming that Bellingham's goal had been correctly awarded.
Before England's goal in minute 45+2 against Norway, 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. pic.twitter.com/gYf9ukfveT
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) July 11, 2026
The incident has since exploded across social media, with fans, pundits and former players split over whether the ball changed direction and whether Norway were right to stop. Amidst the reactions was comedian Trevor Noah who simply termed it 'Cable of God'.
The cable of God
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) July 12, 2026
Former Spain and Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas was among the high-profile figures to react, saying, "England was thrown a lifeline…:"
A Inglaterra le echaron un cable…
— Iker Casillas (@IkerCasillas) July 11, 2026
Chess legend Garry Kasparov also weighed in, referencing an earlier World Cup controversy involving Croatia.
The FIFA space-age sensors and video systems only detect Croatian hair, not cables! https://t.co/WePEh7qIVp
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) July 12, 2026
Fans also questioned FIFA's sensor-based explanation, arguing the ball had unmistakably changed direction after contacting the camera cable.
Dear FIFA
— Pitch Intel (@pitchIntell) July 11, 2026
This ball changes direction.
Don't know what wrong with your sensor but it definitely changed direction after it struck the camera cable.#norway #england #fifa pic.twitter.com/9cgMRXUmlq
One fan labelled the controversy "Cable-gate", highlighting the contrast between Norway's claims that the ball struck the overhead cable and FIFA's reliance on connected Ball data to uphold the goal.
🇳🇴🏴England's equalizer against Norway is now officially cable-gate.
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 12, 2026
Fans swear the ball clipped the Skycam wire on its way to Bellingham.
FIFA's response: the ball's built-in "heartbeat" sensor showed no impact, so the goal stands.
That's a very FIFA way to settle a…
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