Ståle Solbakken denies Manchester City pressured Norway over Erling Haaland

Norway national team coach Ståle Solbakken has denied allegations that Manchester City pressured him to remove Erling Haaland from a scheduled press conference ahead of a Nations League match against Portugal.

Speculation arose in English and Norwegian media after Haaland was replaced by teammates Fredrik Aursnes and Andreas Schjelderup at the last minute. This change coincided with news regarding financial charges against Manchester City, leading to claims that the club wanted to shield Haaland from media questions.

Solbakken dismissed these reports as ‘pure lies’ that damage his professional reputation, stating he has not discussed Haaland’s media engagements with Manchester City since the player moved from Borussia Dortmund. He explained that the decision to excuse Haaland from the media duties was made independently to protect the player from unnecessary stress before the match.

Despite the media controversy, Haaland scored his third goal in this cycle, though Norway ultimately lost to Portugal 1-2 in Oslo.