World Cup: John McGinn Responds After Norway Manager Slams ‘Unprofessional’ Scotland
John McGinn and Steve Clarke have responded after Norway manager Stale Solbakken labelled Scotland ‘unprofessional’ and ‘disappointing’ ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Both nations are currently preparing for this summer’s tournament, which begins on Thursday when Mexico take on South Africa.
Scotland defeated Bolivia 4-0 in their warm-up match on Saturday, with Norway drawing 1-1 against Morocco a day later.
The two nations were due to go head-to-head in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Monday, with the game designed to give minutes to those who didn’t seen as many minutes, or any action at all, in either of those matches.
However, the match did not go ahead, with Scotland withdrawing at the 11th hour due to injuries. Solbakken was not happy at all after announcing the news on Sunday.
Solbakken Blasts Scotland After Friendly Cancellation
Solbakken has called Scotland manager Steve Clarke out for not calling him to explain the reasons for the cancellation. He said, per the Daily Record:
“It was at least as surprising to me, and it is unprofessional of Scotland.
“It is unprofessional that the coach has not called me. It is unprofessional that they use the team manager and call Are (Hokstad) and say it after we have finished training yesterday.
“It’s unprofessional. I don’t think the injuries they’re blaming came in the last training. That’s not the case. It’s disappointing. It’s unprofessional. But, we have to live with that.
“That’s why we adjusted the game a little bit today. Some got a little more playing time and some a little less. If this were me, I would have picked up the phone and explained.
“They (players) suffer a little from it, but then we have to make a different arrangement for them.”
Norway captain Martin Odegaard added: “Of course it’s tough. We would have liked to have that match so that everyone could get proper match training, but that’s life. We can’t stand here and complain about it. We have to find solutions, so it’s probably possible to train well and prepare in a different way.”
