Haaland withdraws from media duties with Norway amid Manchester City case fallout

Norwegian Erling Haaland has withdrawn from his scheduled media duties with the national team, following a surprise change to the player list for the press conference by the Norwegian Football Federation. This decision comes in light of recent developments in the financial misconduct case involving Manchester City.

Erling Haaland was scheduled to appear before the media on Saturday to talk ahead of Norway's match against Portugal in the UEFA Nations League, before the Norwegian Football Federation announced his replacement by teammates Fredrik Aursnes and Andreas Schjelderup, along with coach Ståle Solbakken.

The decision came after reports indicated that Manchester City have been found guilty of committing 114 financial violations out of 115 that the Premier League accused them of, in a case dating back to the period between 2009 and 2018. The penalties have not yet been determined, while the club retains its right to appeal.

Erling Haaland has previously addressed the issue, confirming he received reassurances from Manchester City officials, but emphasized he was not involved in the events under investigation. His media absence comes just hours after he scored two goals in Norway's 3-2 victory over Denmark in the UEFA Nations League.