Caroline Graham Hansen Apologizes for Outburst at Women's World Cup Coach

 Caroline Graham Hansen Apologizes for Outburst at Women's World Cup Coach

Caroline Graham Hansen Apologizes for Outburst(Image-Getty)

Norway's winger, Caroline Graham Hansen, has issued an apology for her emotional outburst directed at coach Hege Riise after being benched in Tuesday's scoreless draw against Switzerland at the Women's World Cup.

Though the 28-year-old was brought on as a second-half substitute during the match at Hamilton's Waikato Stadium, the result left the former champions in a precarious position in the tournament.

In a TV interview after the final whistle, Graham Hansen expressed her frustrations, but later, in a statement to reporters, she said, "I just want to apologize for my statements after the match. I'm just a human being with a lot of feelings. Emotions got the better of me. I took the focus away from what matters, and that is being here to play the World Cup."

While she maintained her disagreement with the coach's decision to leave her out of the starting lineup, she emphasized that she respects the coach's authority to make decisions for the team's benefit. She expressed her commitment to helping Norway progress in the tournament.

Coach Riise accepted Graham Hansen's apology and affirmed that the player remains a part of her plans for Norway's final Group A match against the Philippines in Auckland on Sunday. Riise acknowledged that Graham Hansen's apology was sincere, and she believes the team can move forward successfully.

The difficult night for Coach Riise was compounded by the loss of former Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg, who suffered a groin injury just before kickoff. The team's medical staff is working on a plan to optimize Hegerberg's chances of playing on Sunday.