Why 'sickened' Norway abruptly changed Miami hotels before World Cup quarterfinal

Why ‘sickened’ Norway abruptly changed Miami hotels before World Cup quarterfinal originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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When Norway upset Brazil in the World Cup Round of 16, it earned not just a trip to the quarterfinals, but an extended break before a matchup with England.

Spirits are undoubtedly high as Erling Haaland and the Norwegian squad prepare for their first World Cup quarterfinal ever, but life has thrown a few unexpected curveballs their way in the meantime.

From a sickness plaguing the team to hotel troubles, Norway is battling some off-the-pitch factors leading up to the date with England on Saturday.

Here’s a look at why Norway had to abruptly change hotels in Miami.

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Why did Norway change hotels?

The Miami Herald reported Norway changed hotels after only one night in Miami, citing a report from Norway’s TV2 that claims construction noise and proximity to the beach are to blame.

“We’re going to be here for a week, and we’re already in Week 6 in the USA and are going to play the biggest game in history of our time,” Norway logistics manager Truls Daehli told TV2. “So far, we’ve managed to avoid cabin fever, and we didn’t want any risk of it happening now.”

Norway’s original hotel was three miles from the beach. With an extended break of five full days off and a desire to avoid “cabin fever,” the squad was looking for a more convenient setup.

Daehli also said that FIFA would continue to cover the host of the hotel rooms, but Norway’s federation is covering the difference with the new hotel being more expensive than the original. 

According to Daehli, the switch has paid dividends.

“We had to make a small adjustment, because this hotel costs more. But we are incredibly satisfied with the way things have been responded to here,” Daehli said. “There are only happy faces here now.”

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Norway sickness, explained

Some wondered whether a reported illness going through Norway’s roster impacted the team’s decision to switch hotels. There is no indication that it did, and manager Stale Solbakken has denied that players are being seriously impacted by an illness.

“Everything is fine, every player is fine, there’s no sickness among the players,” Solbakken told reporters. “There’s been one or two on the staff, so at this moment we are all ready to go.”

Speculation about an illness originally started after Solbakken made reference to symptoms his players were dealing with.

“We’ve really only had Jorgen who has had a fever. But then there’s been a bit of coughing and rasping evenly, scattered throughout,” he said after the win over Brazil. “But there’s air conditioning, flights, changing rooms and all that. We’re over 50 people so it would be strange if one or the other didn’t come.”

Since that point, Norway team doctor Ola Sand has said all players are healthy, and Solbakken seems to be backing up that sentiment with a historic quarterfinal matchup looming on Saturday.