Norwegian manager Stale Solbakken criticized his Scottish counterpart Steve Clarke on Monday after Scotland unexpectedly canceled a planned training match behind closed doors, citing concerns over player injuries.
The match, which was due to take place on Monday at Scotland’s training camp in Charlotte, North Carolina, was planned months in advance to give fringe players valuable match practice ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
However, Norway were informed late on Friday evening that Scotland would no longer be able to fulfill the fixture, forcing Solbakken and his staff to reconsider their preparations for Sunday’s friendly 1-1 draw against Morocco in New Jersey.
“It was just as surprising to me, and it is unprofessional of Scotland,” Solbakken told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
«It’s unprofessional that their manager didn’t call me personally and that they used their team manager to relay the message after we finished training. I don’t believe the injuries they are blaming for happened during their last session.»
‘One or two problems’
However, Clarke downplayed the significance of the cancellation, describing the match as little more than an hour-long training ground exercise.
The Scotland manager said his side had suffered several minor injuries during the week and was unwilling to take unnecessary risks less than a fortnight before the start of the World Cup.
«We had one or two niggles last week and decided it wasn’t worth the risk,» Clarke told the BBC, a day after Scotland’s 4-0 friendly win over Bolivia.
The decision was criticized by several figures within the Norwegian camp, including striker Alexander Sorloth, who described the cancellation as ‘a great shame and quite unprofessional’.
Scotland midfielder John McGinn responded to those comments on Monday, insisting his country’s first responsibility is to protect its own players.
«Our job is to look after Scotland. Norway’s job is to look after Norway,» the Aston Villa midfielder said.
Scotland’s World Cup preparations recently suffered a major setback when midfielder Billy Gilmour suffered a tournament-ending knee injury against Curacao.
“If they’ve done their research, we’ve lost a very important part of the squad very, very close to this camp,” McGinn said.
“It had a huge impact on everyone and we didn’t want to lose another player.
«If Norway had lost Erling Haaland or Martin Odegaard in any of the matches prior to Saturday, they would have also canceled the match.»
The disagreement has created an unexpected flashpoint between the two countries ahead of the World Cup, although both teams are now turning their attention to the tournament itself.
Norway begins its campaign against Iraq on June 16, while Scotland opens against Haiti on June 14.
Published on June 9, 2026
