Spidercamgate: is tech ruining sport?

This week’s Track Radio sport and Tech discussion

Monday 13th July 2026. Each week, I talk on Track Radio about technology and sport. This week I have two slots, one on Monday 13th speaking to Alison Bender, and a pre-record on Wednesday 15th July (I will be trying to run/walk the Cotswold way).

There is controversy in Norway about the England-Norway game. Understandably, the Norwegian coach is very upset about losing the game, particularly when they had a very good chance to lead the game 2-0. One focus of press attention has been the claim that the ball might have hit one of the cables of the spidercam overhead in the lead up to England’s first goal. This should have resulted in the annulment of the goal and a drop ball where it landed.

What’s the evidence?

There are two things we can look at: (1) the trajectory; and (2) the sensor on the ball. There are quite a few conspiracy theorists claiming to be able to see the ball hit the cable on the way down and deviate.

If this was the case, the ball would change direction and acquire spin due to the off centre hit. The trajectory looks just what you would expect from a goal kick: an up-and-under kick with backspin and a little side spin making the ball fly high and serve a little at the top of the flight. This slight swerve is what people are saying is due to the cable.

Sensing the hit

The ball has an inertial sensor inside that taks a sample every 500th of a second. This means that for a ball travelling at 50 mph, for example, the sensor would measure acceleration every 4-5 cm along the flight. This means that a glancing blow where the ball moved a couple of centimetres of the cable might not even be picked up. This is exactly what FIFA said: but was this because there was no hit or because the sensor wasn’t sensitive enough?

Conclusion

We don’t know for sure if the ball hit the cable. There is no primary evidence to suggest it did: the ball didn’t deviate any more than in a normal kick. If I was to look at the video without all the noise, I would say it was absolutely fine. This is what the players on the ground did – not a single player put their hands up to claim a blow from an errant cable. Everyone just played on as if nothing had happened.