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Scotland’s preparations for the World Cup have been overshadowed by a heated exchange after a last-minute cancellation of a closed-door friendly with Norway. The abrupt decision sparked outrage among Norwegian officials, who accused Steve Clarke and the Scottish FA of behaving in an unprofessional manner.

Solbakken lashes out at Clarke over 'unprofessional' conduct

Norway’s head coach Stale Solbakken expressed strong frustration after discovering that the planned warm-up match against Scotland had been called off at the very last moment. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager was particularly upset that Clarke did not personally inform him of the decision, alleging that an informal “gentlemen’s agreement” had been disregarded.

Explaining his anger, Solbakken described the move as ‘unprofessional’ and claimed it disrupted his team’s preparation. He remarked, “It is unprofessional of Scotland. It is unprofessional that the coach has not called me, that they use the team manager and inform us only after we have finished training. I don’t believe the injuries they mentioned came from the latest session. That’s not the case. It’s disappointing. It’s unprofessional. But we must accept it and adapt. That’s why we made some changes for our next game.”

Scottish FA stands by 'correct and consistent' procedure

The Scottish FA swiftly responded to the criticism, issuing a detailed statement to explain their stance as the squad arrived at their training base in North Carolina.

According to the governing body, the decision was taken purely with player welfare in mind, following several minor injury concerns that emerged after their recent 4-0 win over Bolivia.

The official SFA statement clarified: “The behind-closed-doors training game was arranged between the respective team managers – not the head coaches – and this was the same process we followed when we reluctantly cancelled on Saturday. We suffered some injuries during previous friendlies, and once it became clear that a training match carried more risk than benefit, we informed the Norway team manager at the earliest opportunity. We believe this was the right and consistent approach. The game was meant to be held privately and not publicly announced – so we were surprised when details appeared in Norwegian media.”

Clarke focuses on player safety over friendly fixture

Despite the growing controversy, Scotland manager Steve Clarke appeared unfazed, turning his attention to the upcoming World Cup campaign. Clarke explained that the decision was purely about risk management and maintaining the fitness of key players who had minor injuries earlier in the week.

“It was just going to be a one-hour training game at our base. We had one or two small knocks last week and decided it wasn’t worth taking the risk,” Clarke said succinctly.

Scottish officials maintain that the Norwegian camp was informed before Scotland’s weekend match in New Jersey, despite Norway’s claims that the notice came too late.

Norwegian players and staff voice 'weak' and 'embarrassing' criticism

The frustration extended beyond the coaching staff, as Norway’s operations manager Brede Hangeland and several senior players voiced their discontent. Hangeland, the former Fulham defender, was particularly scathing, arguing that the Scottish FA failed to uphold their commitment.

“We have been planning that match for months. It’s embarrassing to cancel it just a couple of days beforehand,” said Hangeland. “There’s nothing we can do now; we have to move on and make the best of it. But there were many arrangements, agreements, and gentlemen’s understandings, and then suddenly they back out. I think that was weak, to be honest.”