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Scotland Cancels Norway Warm‑Up and Draws Sharp Rebuke from Norway Boss

The Scottish FA says minor injuries made the one‑hour training match too risky and both teams have adjusted their final World Cup preparations.

Overview

  • Scotland called off a behind‑closed‑doors training match with Norway on Sunday, saying a handful of minor injuries made the exercise not worth the risk.
  • Norway manager Ståle Solbakken publicly criticised the decision as "unprofessional" and said he was not personally phoned about the cancellation.
  • The Scottish Football Association defended its process and said team operations managers handled the arrangements and notification in line with prior practice.
  • Scotland captain John McGinn and manager Steve Clarke backed the welfare‑first call, citing the recent loss of Billy Gilmour and the need to protect the squad.
  • Both camps, based in North Carolina, have reworked rotation and training plans for fringe players who would have used the match for match minutes and the dispute is a reputational row rather than a matter of formal sanctions.