Norway have been forced to abandon their Miami hotel just days before their World Cup quarter-final against England, after noise from a construction site and basic logistical issues left players frustrated and disrupted their preparation.
The squad had been based at The Dalmar, a five-star hotel in Fort Lauderdale, but a large building project next door and the roar of traffic on a busy road made downtime unbearable. Captain Martin Odegaard acknowledged the problems, saying: “There were some things that could have been better and we fixed them. Just to optimise and prepare ourselves as best as possible for an important match.”
“Norway moved hotel after noise and illness disruptions before England World Cup quarter-final.”
Volunteers from the support team moved the entire operation to a new, undisclosed hotel in under three hours. Truls Daehli, Norway’s logistics manager, described the upheaval as “brutal” but insisted the players had pushed for the change. “Some people might fear that this will affect the players, but it was the players who wanted this more than anyone else,” he said. “We have strong people in our support team and managed to move in two-and-a-half hours. The process of changing hotel is not ideal but we wanted to take action as soon as possible. Having a good atmosphere is most important.”
Daehli added that the team had been in the United States for six weeks and faced the biggest match in Norwegian history at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Saturday. “We have avoided cabin fever so far and don’t want any risk of it now,” he said. “Fifa have accepted that we must move to another hotel.”
Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken defended the decision, saying: “There were a few things that weren’t right there. Fifa agreed with that and was very willing to help us. You would like to have a gathering and meeting room. In total, there were too many little things. It’s not that you can’t live there, but we should be a team, be together and a unit.”
Reports of sickness within the camp also surfaced, but Solbakken dismissed them as “greatly exaggerated”, revealing that only team manual therapist Thomas Odegaard was unwell. “We have enough physiotherapists to handle it,” he said. Norway’s doctor Ola Sand confirmed all players were healthy, telling Nettavisen: “All players are healthy now. Very little fuss considering that we have been close together for almost six weeks. So great that [English media] believe this. We are in control.”
With England lying in wait, the disruption threatens to unsettle a Norway side that has already spent six weeks on the road. For now, the squad is settled in its new home, but the question remains whether the chaos will have any lingering effect when the quarter-final kicks off.