Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
He denies the incident with striker Ayman Hussain
Norway’s national team coach Stel Solbakken has fired back at US actions surrounding the 2026 World Cup, describing the atmosphere in the US as “total hypocrisy” in response to the detention of Iraqi striker Ayman Hussein at Chicago airport.
According to the American CBS network, the “Mesopotamia Lions” player was detained by customs and border guards for seven hours upon arrival with the delegation of the Iraqi national team.
Today, Thursday, during a press conference at Norway’s camp headquarters, Solbakken was asked about the incident of the arrest of Norway’s first competitor in the tournament, Hussain, and he replied:
“However,” added the 56-year-old man sharply. The World Cup is held here, and we are here to play football“.
When asked to clarify what he meant, he emphasized: “Everything from the host country’s tensions with another country, meaning Iran, to the kind of difficulties we’ve talked about.”
Solbakken’s announcements come three days before Norway’s historic comeback after a 28-year absence since 1998.
Erling Haaland’s side will begin their campaign against Iraq on June 16, then face Senegal on June 22 and face France in Group Nine on June 26.
