Steve Clarke has been branded ‘unprofessional’ by Norway counterpart Stale Solbakken after the Scotland boss cancelled a training-ground friendly in the USA at short notice as both sides prepare for the start of the World Cup.
With both squads based in North Carolina, the game was planned for behind doors on Monday. But the Norwegian Football Federation announced on Sunday it had been called off because of injuries in the Scotland camp.
Clarke later confirmed: ‘It was just going to be a training game for an hour at our training ground. We picked up one or two niggles last week and decided it wasn’t worth the risk.’
However, following his side’s draw with Scotland’s Group C opponents Morocco in New Jersey, Solbakken described the cancellation as ‘surprising’ when talking to Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
‘It is unprofessional of Scotland,’ he said. ‘It is unprofessional that the coach has not called me, that they use the team manager and call and say it after we have finished training.
‘I don’t think the injuries they’re blaming came from the last training session. That’s not the case. It’s disappointing. It’s unprofessional.
Scotland boss Steve Clarke decided training ground clash with Norway ‘wasn’t worth the risk’
‘But we have to live with that. That’s why we adjusted a bit in the game.’
Norway kick-off their Group I campaign against Iraq next Tuesday, three days after Scotland face Haiti in Group C.
The Scots played their final public preparation game on Saturday when they defeated Bolivia 4-0, with Clarke utilising most of his squad.
However, Norway’s team manager, former Fulham defender Brede Hangeland, said they had based their World Cup preparations on the closed-doors friendly ‘for many months’ before arriving at their base in Greensboro, about 90 miles from Scotland’s training camp in Charlotte.
‘It is embarrassing to cancel it a couple of days before,’ he added. ‘We can’t do anything about it.
‘We just have to forget about it and make the best of it. But there has been a lot of organisation, agreements and gentlemen’s agreements and then suddenly they don’t want to.
Norway head coach Stale Solbakken was keen to stress his disappointment in Clarke
‘I think that was weak, so to speak.’
It’s understood that Scotland alerted Norway to their desire to withdraw from the match on Saturday.
It’s believed that Clarke wasn’t directly involved in organising the game, with the matter only discussed between Michael Hughes, the national team’s football operations manager, and Hangeland.
Scotland are said to be surprised that a closed-door game that was supposed to be a private matter became public knowledge.
