.png)
Featured Image Credit: Image: aftenposten
Topics: Norway
Josh Lawless
There's been huge uproar in Norway's first division as a goalkeeper has been making the goal smaller during home games.
Icelandic shotstopper Patrik Gunnarsson, formerly of Brentford, has been caught moving the goals ever so slightly prior to games.
Playing for Viking FK at the SR-Bank Arena, Gunnarsson has shifted the posts inwards in the last two home matches against Jerv and HamKam in the Eliteserien.
He's done this just after the assistant referee has completed the mandatory check on the goals, with the official completely unaware of his antics.
Advert
The standard required dimensions on professional goals are 7 metres and 32 centimetres but Norwegian outlet Aftenbladet have worked out that Gunnarsson is gaining his team an unfair advantage by making the goal 15-20 centimetres smaller.
They've also posted footage of his actions, which is now causing a huge stir.
However, the 21-year-old is playing dumb about the whole deal and claims it's just a pre-match superstition.
Advert
"It's just a ritual I have before the matches," he commented.
"Which makes me feel comfortable. It's no more than that. I just kick the bars a little."
Gunnarsson was loaned to Viking last year and joined permanently in January. He hit headlines in November when he essentially got his own player sent off in the 95th minute.
Viking FK were on the verge of claiming a 3-2 victory away at at Kristiansund after coming from behind with two late strikes.
Advert
Veton Berisha equalised in the 88th minute with a penalty and then Sondre Bjorshol bagged the winner in the 93rd minute.
Incredibly, out of nowhere, David Brekalo and Gunnarsson got into it as the game drew to a close.
Brekalo shoved Gunnarsson twice when he approached him and the second one led the goalkeeper to drop to the turf in theatrical fashion and clutch his face as though he had been punched.
Brekalo was then a shown a red card.