The Scotland national team have been called “unprofessional” and “embarrassing” after cancelling a pre-World Cup friendly against Norway.Norway drew 1-1 with Morocco in a friendly match in New Jersey on Sunday and were due to face Scotland behind closed doors on Monday, in order for those who did not play in Sunday’s game to get some match practice.Scotland beat Bolivia 4-0 in a friendly in New Jersey on Saturday. On the proposed game against Norway, head coach Steve Clarke told BBC Radio Scotland on Sunday: “It was just going to be a training game for an hour at our training ground. We picked up one or two niggles last week and decided it wasn’t worth the risk.”Speaking right after the Bolivia win, Clarke had told the BBC that his side had got through the game with “no injuries”.Solbakken, though, said to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK: “It was at least as surprising to me, and it is unprofessional of Scotland. “It is unprofessional that the coach (Steve Clarke) has not called me, that they use the team manager and call and say it after we have finished training. I don’t think the injuries they’re blaming came from the last training session. That’s not the case. “It’s disappointing. It’s unprofessional. But we have to live with that. That’s why we adjusted a bit in the game.”Scotland head coach Steve Clarke has since had to respond to Solbakken’s criticism (Peter Powell / AFP via Getty Images)Former centre-back Brede Hangeland, who made 238 Premier League appearances and played 91 times for Norway, has been the national team’s sports coordinator since 2021. The 44-year-old told NRK: “We have been working on that match for many months. It is embarrassing to cancel it a couple of days before. We can’t do anything about it, we just have to forget about it and make the best of it.“But there has been a lot of organisation, agreements and gentlemen’s agreements and then suddenly they don’t want to. I think that was weak, so to speak.”The Athletic has contacted the Scottish Football Association (SFA) for comment. Scotland, drawn in Group C, are based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and are appearing at their first World Cup since 1998. They beat Bolivia 4-0 in a friendly on Saturday and begin their tournament against Haiti on June 14.Norway, drawn into Group I, are based 90 miles away in Greensboro. They begin their World Cup campaign against Iraq on June 16. Jun 8, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms