Stale Solbakken denies rumors about Erling Haaland and Manchester City

Norway national team head coach Stale Solbakken has strongly reacted to reports suggesting that Manchester City was behind the exclusion of team striker Erling Haaland from a press conference. According to VG, the specialist called such speculations an outright lie and emphasized that they damage his professional reputation. This is reported by Goal.com reports .

The controversy arose ahead of Norway's Nations League match against Portugal. According to initial plans, the star striker was supposed to answer questions from media representatives on Saturday. However, the plan changed suddenly, and instead of Erling Haaland, his teammates Fredrik Aursnes and Andreas Schjelderup participated in the press conference.

Suspicious timing and unfounded assumptions

This change coincided with the period when the long-awaited court ruling on Manchester City's financial violations was announced. This situation immediately sparked heated discussions in the football community. Many suspected that the English club might have pressured the Norway national team to protect its main goalscorer from uncomfortable questions.

However, the head coach firmly denied these rumors, stating that he had not spoken to the Manchester City management or coaching staff about media matters at all. According to him, the last time he communicated with the English club's representatives regarding the media was when Haaland transferred from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City.

The head coach's firm position

Stale Solbakken explained that he made the decision to relieve the player from media pressure entirely on his own and did not even inform the striker in advance. He emphasized that such unfounded claims cast a shadow over the reputation of the national team, which is a public team, and his personal integrity.

«This is a lie. It also damages my reputation,» the Norwegian specialist commented with anger. He added that he always strives to be honest and gives his all for the team.

The professional approach on the pitch and the results showed that the noise and excessive talk around the club did not affect the striker's performance. In the Nations League match held in Oslo on Sunday, Erling Haaland started in the lineup and managed to score his third goal of the current international break.