Scotland’s decision to cancel a behind closed doors friendly against Norway has sparked a dispute between the two teams coaches ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.
The teams had scheduled the training-ground fixture for Monday in North Carolina, where both squads are preparing for the tournament. Scotland, however, cancelled the match after several players picked up minor injuries.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke defended the decision. He said the team could not risk worsening the players fitness before the qualifiers.
“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,” Clarke said.
Norway coach Stale Solbakken criticized Scotland’s handling of the cancellation. He accused the Scottish camp of acting unprofessionally.
“It is unprofessional of Scotland. It is unprofessional that the coach has not called me. They used the team manager to call after we had finished training,” Solbakken said.
He also questioned Scotland’s explanation. According to him, the reported injuries did not justify cancelling a match both teams had planned for months.
“I don’t think the injuries they’re blaming came from the last training session. That’s not the case. It’s disappointing, but we have to live with it,” he added.
Norway team manager Brede Hangeland also expressed disappointment. He said officials had spent months organizing the fixture before Scotland withdrew at short notice.
“It is embarrassing to cancel it a couple of days before. We had agreements in place, but suddenly they didn’t want to play. I think that was weak,” Hangeland said.
Despite the disagreement, both teams have continued their preparations. Norway drew 1-1 with Morocco in its final public warm-up match. The team will open its Group I qualifying campaign against Iraq next Tuesday.
Scotland heads into the qualifiers after beating Bolivia 4-0 in its final public friendly. Clarke rotated much of his squad during that match. His side will face Haiti in its Group C opener three days before Norway begins its campaign.
