Red cards tripled, goal disallowed for a hair brushing... 'Modric also exploded': VAR, trying to correct errors, ruined the World Cup

*This content was translated by AI.

Video Assistant Referee (VAR), introduced to correct obvious officiating errors, has emerged as one of the biggest controversies at the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup.

Reuters reported on the 10th (Korean time) that "technology was at the center of all major controversies in this tournament, including the controversy over the sending-off of Polyn Valogean (AS Monaco/USA), which even drew in U.S. President Donald Trump." It further added, "Criticism of technology ranged from pointing out excessive intervention and inconsistent application to conspiracy theories that it was used favorably for specific teams or players."

Recently, Egypt national team coach Hossam Hassan expressed strong dissatisfaction with VAR. Egypt was eliminated after losing 2-3 to Argentina, led by 'the God of Football' Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), in the Round of 16. Egypt had been leading 2-0 until the 34th minute of the second half but collapsed after conceding three goals in the final moments of the match. Coach Hassan raised his voice after the game, stating that VAR had a decisive impact on the outcome.

At that time, Egypt was leading 1-0 when Mostafa Ziko (Pyramids) appeared to score in the 13th minute of the second half, but the goal was not recognized following a VAR review. The refereeing panel determined that a foul had occurred during the build-up play.

In contrast, Coach Hassan pointed out that no VAR review was conducted when an Egyptian player fell inside the Argentina penalty area during stoppage time in the second half. Egypt, which failed to be awarded a penalty kick, immediately allowed Argentina to counter-attack and ultimately conceded the winning goal in a comeback. After the match, Coach Hassan strongly criticized, "What is happening now is not fair."

'Croatian legend' Luka Modric (AC Milan) also voiced dissatisfaction with VAR decisions. Croatia lost 1-2 to Portugal in the Round of 32. For Croatia, there was a scene that left them feeling aggrieved. In stoppage time of extra time, Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City) seemed to score a dramatic equalizer, but after a VAR review, an offside was called and the goal was disallowed.

VAR determined that the ball had touched Igor Matanovic (Freiburg) very slightly before Gvardiol received it.

Reuters explained, "It was difficult for the human eye to confirm whether there was contact in this scene. The trajectory of the ball hardly changed either. However, a sensor embedded in the ball detected the contact." It further noted, "Even the possibility that Matanovic's hair brushed the ball was raised."

It continued, "If the Round of 32 match between Croatia and Portugal had been played at the 2014 World Cup, it is highly likely that the score in regular time would have been 2-2."

Modric expressed his dissatisfaction, stating, "VAR is useful in some situations, but now it seems to be misused or applied selectively depending on the team." He further argued, "If there is a 200% obvious error, VAR should intervene. But if the situation is ambiguous, there is no need to intervene."

The Croatian Football Federation, which had previously been favorable toward VAR use, also requested an official explanation from FIFA after the match against Portugal. The federation reportedly described this decision as "an abuse of technology."

VAR was developed to correct obvious officiating errors. Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter opposed the introduction of VAR at the World Cup, but Gianni In Pan-ti-no (Chairman), who took office in 2016, actively promoted VAR and eventually introduced it on the World Cup stage.

The number of uses has also increased significantly. According to reports, there were 20 VAR interventions during the 64th matches of the 2018 Russia World Cup. In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the number did not exceed 30 based on the same number of matches.

However, in this North American World Cup, the figure has far exceeded these numbers from the early stages of the tournament. Reuters analyzed that "VAR interventions were intentionally increased."

FIFA Shim Pan-wi (Director) Pierluigi Collina expanded the role of the refereeing team placed in the VAR room ahead of the North American World Cup. In cooperation with the International Football Association Board (IFAB), he also increased the number of situations where VAR can intervene by four more than before.

While this became a device for accurate decisions, it has also drawn criticism that it instead detracts from the flow and enjoyment of the game. Voices have even been raised questioning the reliability of the decisions themselves, as seen with Modric.

Brennan Kline, a network scientist at Northeastern University in the United States who analyzed North American World Cup data, pointed out that "this attempt to over-referee everything is moving away from the problems VAR was originally meant to solve."

He continued, "Fans in the stadium generally dislike this. They were told this is the right way, but they had no opportunity to actually express their opinions. They are simply expressing their thoughts through booing."

The increase in red cards is also controversial. According to Kline, a total of 13 red cards were issued to players up to the Round of 16 in this tournament. This is more than three times the number from the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Of course, there are more matches in this tournament, but analysis also suggests that the expansion of VAR influenced the increase in send-offs.

Reuters explained, "At least two send-offs would not have occurred without VAR," noting that "VAR identified fouls missed by the on-field referee for the United States' Valogean and England's Jarrell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), resulting in their dismissals."

The case of Valogean's sending-off even spread to the political sphere. President Trump claimed the decision was "unfair" and revealed that he directly contacted FIFA President Infantino, requesting the cancellation of Valogean's suspension ban. This statement immediately led to major controversy.

Quansah's red card sparked anger from England manager Thomas Tuchel. Although England defeated Mexico 3-2 in the Round of 16, Manager Tuchel did not hide his dissatisfaction with the decision.

Manager Tuchel strongly criticized, "VAR overturned the decision, but was that penalty kick an obvious and clear error? Absolutely not." He further raised his voice, stating, "The referee had not even called a foul in the first place. Not only the refereeing panel, but even the level of the fourth official was insufficient."

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*This content was translated by AI.