Erling Haaland was due to appear at a press conference in Oslo on Saturday morning, but Norway withdrew him after Manchester City were found guilty on all but one of the Premier League’s 115 charges. The charges cover a nine-year period, from 2009 to 2018, and the Premier League has still not decided on sanctions.
Haaland’s public line is the one that will draw the most attention. Speaking to metro.co.uk, he said: "I spoke with the bosses, and in the end, I believe them." He added: "It’s such a tricky situation for me to even sit there and speak about, because I wasn’t really involved in it." That leaves Norway to handle the fallout around a player who was meant to be front and centre.
Norway’s press conference change
Norway replaced Haaland with Fredrik Aursnes and Andreas Schjelderup for the Oslo press conference alongside head coach Stale Solbakken. That is a practical move, but it also shows how quickly the verdict spilled beyond Manchester and into international duty.
City’s situation is still open-ended because the Premier League has not yet chosen a sanction. Points deduction, a fine or expulsion from the top flight are all still possible, and City are expected to appeal the verdict. Haaland’s response was to back the club’s leadership, not to step into the legal argument himself.
The sanction risk around City
The awkward part for City is obvious enough. Their striker has tied himself publicly to the club’s bosses while the league process is not finished. Haaland also scored twice in Norway’s 3-2 win over Denmark this week, which only underlines how central he remains on the pitch while the off-field case moves on.
He will not be the one answering for the charges in Oslo now, but the story has not gone away. The Premier League still has to decide what happens next, and City’s appeal is expected to follow once that decision arrives.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
