FIFA Makes Major VAR Change After World Cup Refereeing Backlash
- FIFA introduced a new VAR protocol by placing primary and reserve VAR officials inside stadiums for the rest of the World Cup
- The change followed widespread criticism of refereeing, including Egypt's controversial defeat to Argentina
- FIFA's refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina defended match officials and rejected claims of bias or outside influence
FIFA had introduced a significant structural change to its Video Assistant Referee (VAR) operations for the remainder of the 2026 World Cup after mounting criticism over the standard of officiating.
Before Thursday's quarter-final between France and Morocco, every VAR review during the tournament had been handled remotely from the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Dallas, Texas.
Under the revised protocol, FIFA placed both a primary VAR official and a reserve VAR official inside each match stadium to provide immediate support if technical issues disrupted communication with the Dallas hub.
For the France versus Morocco clash, Uruguay's Leodan Gonzalez had been assigned as the on-site VAR official, while Nicaragua's Tatiana Guzman served as the reserve VAR at Boston Stadium.
The match itself was overseen by an all-Argentinian officiating team led by referee Facundo Tello, alongside assistants Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade.
Egypt and England criticisms prompted renewed focus on officiating
FIFA's decision followed several controversial Round of 16 matches, most notably Argentina's dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan accused French referee Francois Letexier of favouring Argentina after his side surrendered a two-goal lead. Hassan described the official as unfair and claimed the tournament had been directed towards Argentina, insisting the match had been "rigged."
Forward Mostafa Ziko echoed those concerns, accusing the referee of treating Egypt unfairly throughout the contest and preventing his team from winning.
England boss Thomas Tuchel also criticised officiating after Jarell Quansah was sent off during his team's victory over Mexico. Tuchel described the refereeing as erratic and unreliable while questioning the conduct of fourth officials policing the technical area.
Despite the growing criticism, FIFA's chief refereeing officer, Pierluigi Collina, firmly defended the officials. He acknowledged that debate over decisions would always exist in football but insisted baseless accusations had no place in the game. Collina stressed that nobody should question the integrity of FIFA referees, warning such allegations could lead to threats against officials and their families. He also rejected suggestions that FIFA refereeing could be influenced by anyone, including FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Source: YEN.com.gh
