Erling Haaland has shown no signs of distraction following Manchester City's guilty verdict on financial rule breaches, according to teammates in the Norway camp. The striker will feature for his country against Wales in Cardiff on Thursday, 1 October, at 19:45 BST—his first appearance since the Premier League's confirmation of the charges against his club.
The 26-year-old was shielded from media scrutiny before and after Norway's Nations League defeat to Portugal on Sunday, when reports of City's verdict first surfaced. As the World Cup quarter-finalists arrived in Wales, headlines dominated by his club's legal troubles, Haaland remained out of the public eye, though he trained normally at Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Brentford defender Kristoffer Ajer, speaking to reporters, characterised the forward's demeanour as entirely consistent with his usual approach.
He's been exactly the way he's always the same with the national team,Ajer said.
He's truly focused on the upcoming games. I think he's trying to do the same as everyone else, wait and see what the outcome is - but right now the main focus is Wales tomorrow night.
Manager Stale Solbakken declined to elaborate on any conversations with Haaland, responding curtly when asked whether the extra scrutiny had necessitated a discussion.
What we speak about is between him and me,Solbakken said. He did acknowledge that Haaland missed one opportunity against Portugal that he would typically have converted, though he praised the forward's overall performance, describing him as
very goodand
scoring goals.
The scale of City's breaches
The guilty verdict represents a watershed moment for English football. According to the Premier League's official statement, Manchester City were found guilty of 114 of 115 alleged breaches of financial regulations. The commission determined that City's arrangements inflated revenue and reduced costs by more than £900 million over the period examined, with more than £830 million in owner funding disguised through commercial arrangements.
The breaches covered nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18—a period that predates Haaland's arrival at the club in 2022 by four years. Despite this temporal separation, the verdict has cast a shadow over City's recent dominance. The commission also found that some club witnesses provided false evidence during the investigation, with certain testimony described as knowingly untrue and dishonest.
Haaland's consistency amid the storm
Ajer expanded on his observations of Haaland's mental state, emphasising the striker's professionalism and unchanged character despite his elevated status.
The biggest compliment I always give is that he hasn't changed a bit from the moment I met him even though he's the biggest star on the planet right now,Ajer said.
He's been exactly the same the last few days as well which is not a surprise for me.
The 59-cap defender further noted that Haaland consistently brings
lot of energy and joy to the groupand remains fully focused on the Nations League window. With 65 goals in 57 appearances for Norway, Haaland has established himself as one of international football's most prolific forwards. He scored in the 2-1 defeat to Portugal in Oslo and twice in the 3-2 victory over Denmark earlier in this Nations League campaign.
Haaland may link up with Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard, Norway's captain, who trained in Cardiff following a challenge from former Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva that drew criticism on Friday night.
Wales seeking to break their slump
Norway face a Wales side struggling for form, having gone six matches without a win. Manager Stale Solbakken praised the impact of Wales manager Craig Bellamy, suggesting he brings
modern ideasto the side. Solbakken attributed Wales's difficulties to low confidence following their play-off defeat on penalties to Bosnia-Herzegovina, which cost them a place in the summer's World Cup.
Ajer drew parallels between the two nations, noting their similar populations and shared work ethic.
It's a similar population and the same work ethic from both countries,he said.
So obviously we followed that journey Wales were on (in 2016) and obviously it was nice that it was our turn, so we're expecting a very, very tough game tomorrow with two equal sides that are playing the same kind of football.
What happens next for City
Manchester City have until Friday, 2 October, to lodge an appeal against the verdict. Should they choose to contest the ruling, the appeal would be heard by a new three-person commission. The club has maintained its position that it denies any wrongdoing, despite the guilty verdict.
