England’s equaliser against Norway has sparked controversy after eagle-eyed fans spotted that it came as a result of the ball appearing to hit a camera cable in the build-up, which should have led to play being stopped.
According to the official IFAB Laws of the Game, if the ball strikes a ceiling or a fixture hanging over the pitch, such as a cable or overhead camera, and remains inside the field of play, the match must be halted.
The referee should then award a dropped ball to the team that last touched the ball, with play restarting from the spot where the ball made contact with the fixture.
In Miami, the Three Lions were trailing when Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland took a goal kick in first-half added time.
Footage appeared to show the ball’s trajectory suddenly changing before it dropped near the halfway line to Elliot Anderson, who teed up Anthony Gordon on the left wing.
Gordon then played an excellent ball through to Jude Bellingham, who took two touches before firing past Nyland to draw England level just before the break.
Gordon sent an excellent ball through to Bellingham, who took two touches and then fired past Nyland to draw the score level just before the break
Daily Mail Sport understand that FIFA have checked the data within the football and that there was no peak on the graph from the connected ball heartbeat sensor.
The footballs being used at the tournament are each fitted with a chip and utilise ‘connected ball technology’, which relays data directly to the VAR system.
The microchip produces accurate, instantaneous data on everything from ball movement, speed and trajectory to player touches, with adidas claiming the technology enables ‘faster in-game officiating decisions and more insight into gameplay than ever before.’
The system was at the centre of controversy earlier in the tournament when Sweden were awarded a goal against Tunisia in the group stage.
Matthias Svanberg scored in the second half after converting a free-kick, but the effort was initially ruled out for offside.
However, sensors inside the ball determined that Sweden and Liverpool striker Alexander Isak had made the faintest of touches after the free-kick was taken. By that point, Svanberg had moved back into an onside position, meaning the goal was allowed to stand.
Later in the tournament, Croatia’s last-gasp equaliser against Portugal in their Round of 32 match was chalked off for similar reasons, after the heartbeat monitor determined that Igor Matanovic was offside in the build-up to Josko Gvardiol’s scrambled goal.
