The head of security at the Norwegian nightclub which Erling Haaland appeared to be kicked out of over the weekend has explained what happened to the Borussia Dortmund striker.
A video apparently showing Haaland being expelled from a venue in Stavanger did the rounds on social media over the weekend.
Even Haaland’s father, former Leeds man Alf-Inge, poked fun at the 19-year-old, saying: “Come on Erling, back to work. Big city nightlife is not for you.”
However, it now seems there was something of a misunderstanding about the situation.
Christopher Naesheim, manager of PSS Securitas, told Bild: “Erling was not drunk. He was cooperative and showed complete understanding of the situation after having a conversation outside.
“Because of the current Covid-19 regulations, security personnel were aware of the crowd around Erling Braut Haaland.
“They knew that fans would not stop crowding around him, asking for photos and talking to him.
“In the end, the pressure became so great that we had to ask him to go.”
The video did show Haaland protesting his eviction, but there does not seem to have been any further fallout from the event.
The spread of the coronavirus has been relatively well contained in Norway, with 252 reported deaths and 8,974 confirmed cases.
Since June 15, up to 200 people have been allowed to gather for events in public places but people are still required to keep a one-metre distance from those outside their household - hence the concern about the crowd around Haaland.
Haaland is back at home in Norway following the end of the Bundesliga season, and had been enjoying some more wholesome outdoor pursuits – though his Instagram post on the subject brought plenty of ribbing from his team-mates.
The forward posted a picture of himself cutting up wood with a chainsaw, captioned: “The winter is coming, let's chop some wood.”
Jadon Sancho simply commented a string of laughing emojis, while Gio Reyna replied, "Winter is in 5 months".
Julian Brandt poked fun at Haaland's topknot hairstyle while Achraf Hakimi, who recently joined Inter in a €40 million (£36m/$45m) deal, followed Sancho's lead with a reply of laughing and facepalm emojis.
Haaland will have to enjoy his time at home while he can, with the 2020-21 Bundesliga season scheduled to begin on August 21.
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