Scandal erupts as Norwegian keeper caught narrowing goalpost ahead of kick-off; Watch

In a shocking incident, Viking FK goalkeeper Patrik Gunnarsson was caught on camera shortening his goalposts prior to a game in a bid to allegedly gain an unfair advantage over his opponents. On May 25, a game between Viking FK and HamKam in the Eliteserien sparked controversy after Gunnarsson was seen narrowing his goalposts. Eliteserien is Norway's top-tier football league, with the most recent season commencing in April and running through November.

Viking FK's Gunnarsson was seen narrowing his goalposts prior to the start of their match against HamKam last week in a video that is currently doing rounds on social media. In the video, Gunnarsson can be seen waiting for the assistant referee to leave the goalmouth before moving the goalposts closer together. The goalposts were shifted at least 15-20 centimetres inwards, according to Norwegian news outlet Aftenbladet, which believes that it gave Viking FK a significant advantage over HamKam. Take a look at the controversial video below:

Gunnarsson refutes allegations

Meanwhile, Gunnarsson has denied the allegations that he deliberately narrowed the goalposts prior to their game against HamKam in order to gain an unfair advantage. The 21-year-old Icelandic stated he was just performing his pre-match rituals, adding that kicking the posts before the match makes him comfortable. However, many people on social media believe that Gunnarsson deliberately shifted the goalposts inwards to shorten the width. 

"It’s just a pre-match ritual I have before the matches. Which makes me feel comfortable. It’s no more than that. I just kick the bars a little," Gunnarsson said about the controversy. 

It is pertinent to mention here that this is not the first time that Gunnarsson has been embroiled in a controversy. Back in November, Gunnarsson gained traction for getting his own teammate kicked out of a match. Gunnarsson got involved in an argument with teammate David Brekalo towards the backend of their match against Kristiansund. Viking FK were leading the game 3-2 when Gunnarsson and Brekalo got engaged in an altercation. Brekalo shoved Gunnarsson twice in the chest before the latter dropped to the floor to suggest that he had been punched. Brekalo was shown the red card by the referee and was sent off the ground. 

Image: @Perro_en_Cancha/Twitter