The 2026 World Cup has become the focus of major controversies and structural changes in its final days. The scene of the ball hitting the cable camera in the England-Norway match, with the release of a new angle, showed that FIFA was wrong in rejecting the collision and the Three Lions' goal should have been disallowed. Jude Bellingham's mother prevented his suspension on the eve of the semi-final against Argentina with constant warnings. Meanwhile, Paolo Maldini returned to the Italian national team and Infantino announced a serious review of expanding the World Cup to 64 teams. Reports of staggering costs and class divisions in host cities have presented a bleak picture of the global dream of football.
Publish dateMonday 13 July 2026 - 15:25
Story Code : 360497
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): In its final days, the 2026 World Cup has become the focus of refereeing controversies, structural changes and astronomical costs more than ever before. The controversial scene of the ball hitting the camera cable has taken on new dimensions and put FIFA in a difficult position. Meanwhile, Bellingham's mother prevented her son from being banned with maternal warnings, Maldini returned to revive the Azzurri and Infantino spoke out about the World Cup expanding to 64 teams. Below, we review the most important events and developments of these controversial days.
Camera cable controversy; FIFA denies the collision, but new angle proves otherwise
The most controversial scene of the quarter-final was England's equalizer against Norway, scored by Jude Bellingham in the 2+45 minute. In that scene, the ball hit the camera cable above the ground after the Norwegian goalkeeper kicked it and fell into the hands of the English. They quickly organized an attack that led to the goal.
The Norwegians protested vehemently, and FIFA issued a statement saying that the ball's sensor had not detected any spikes in the ball's heartbeat in mid-air, so there was no evidence of a collision. But hours later, a new angle of the incident was released, clearly showing the ball hitting the cable and changing direction. According to FIFA rules, if the ball hits a foreign object, play should be restarted with a "dropped ball" and the goal should have been disallowed.
Retired English referee Mark Clattenburg said: "VAR should have looked at this because it happened right in the attacking phase that led directly to the goal."
Bellingham's mother saved him from being suspended ahead of the semi-final
Jude Bellingham, who had a yellow card on his record before the Norway match, would have missed the crucial semi-final against Argentina if he had been booked. He escaped a penalty in addition to his two goals with a flawless display.
Bellingham praised his mother's role after the game: "My mother, Denise, has been warning me all week to watch my behaviour, the way I tackle, even my facial expressions and emotions. She's been telling me all week to watch out for a second yellow card and I'm not going to be sent off."
Bellingham was also at risk of suspension, with Declan Rice, Mark Gea and Nico O'Reilly all controlling their play.
Camera cable controversy; FIFA denies the collision, but new angle proves otherwise
The most controversial scene of the quarter-final was England's equalizer against Norway, scored by Jude Bellingham in the 2+45 minute. In that scene, the ball hit the camera cable above the ground after the Norwegian goalkeeper kicked it and fell into the hands of the English. They quickly organized an attack that led to the goal.
The Norwegians protested vehemently, and FIFA issued a statement saying that the ball's sensor had not detected any spikes in the ball's heartbeat in mid-air, so there was no evidence of a collision. But hours later, a new angle of the incident was released, clearly showing the ball hitting the cable and changing direction. According to FIFA rules, if the ball hits a foreign object, play should be restarted with a "dropped ball" and the goal should have been disallowed.
Retired English referee Mark Clattenburg said: "VAR should have looked at this because it happened right in the attacking phase that led directly to the goal."
Bellingham's mother saved him from being suspended ahead of the semi-final
Jude Bellingham, who had a yellow card on his record before the Norway match, would have missed the crucial semi-final against Argentina if he had been booked. He escaped a penalty in addition to his two goals with a flawless display.
Bellingham praised his mother's role after the game: "My mother, Denise, has been warning me all week to watch my behaviour, the way I tackle, even my facial expressions and emotions. She's been telling me all week to watch out for a second yellow card and I'm not going to be sent off."
Bellingham was also at risk of suspension, with Declan Rice, Mark Gea and Nico O'Reilly all controlling their play.
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