Norway cancel Erling Haaland press conference after Manchester City charges

The Norwegian Football Association has cancelled Erling Haaland’s scheduled press conference on Saturday after an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of 114 out of 115 alleged breaches of financial fair play rules.

Haaland had been due to face the media alongside Norway manager Stale Solbakken, but the federation has removed him from the programme in what appears to be an attempt to shield him from questions about the future of his club.

The development came only hours after The Athletic reported on Friday afternoon that Manchester City had been found guilty of systematic breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations between 2009 and 2018.

Mina Finstad Berg, a sports commentator for Norwegian broadcaster TV2, described the findings as potentially “an earthquake if it is confirmed that they have been found guilty of all but one of the charges”.

The Norwegian Football Association had initially confirmed that Haaland and Solbakken would hold a joint news conference on Saturday. Its media director, Morten Skjønsberg, sent a message to journalists earlier on Friday announcing their appearance.

However, the federation issued a brief update later in the day, saying: “We are making changes to tomorrow’s press conference. Solbakken, Orsnes and Schjelderup will be on the ground floor.”

Haaland’s name was removed from the revised list and replaced by his Norway team-mates Orsnes and Schjelderup. The change effectively keeps the forward away from the media while the situation surrounding Manchester City remains unresolved.

Manchester City have confirmed they will appeal the commission’s findings, and the proceedings are still ongoing. Even so, the Norwegian federation has chosen not to put Haaland in a position where he would face direct questions about a case to which he currently has no answers.

The decision highlights the immediate effect of the Manchester City case on Norway’s preparations, with the federation opting to protect its leading striker from the controversy during the international camp.