Alan Shearer, Gary Lineker, and Micah Richards engaged in a heated discussion on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football after Argentina's controversial 3-2 win over Egypt in the World Cup round of 16. The flashpoint came when Egypt's Mostafa Ziko had a stunning goal disallowed by VAR, sparking fury from Shearer.
VAR Disallows Stunning Egypt Goal
Egypt had taken the lead early in the first half through Yasser Ibrahim. Midway through the second half, Ziko thought he had doubled the lead with a remarkable relay-style goal. Egypt dispossessed Argentina deep in their own half, and Haissem Hassan ran the length of the pitch, taking on two defenders before finding Mohamed Salah. Salah then threaded a perfect pass to Ziko, who slotted past Emi Martinez.
However, the goal was ruled out by VAR, which cited a foul on Martinez before the Egyptian breakaway. The decision was immediately criticized by fans worldwide and by Shearer on the podcast.
Shearer's Explosive Reaction
Shearer did not hold back, saying: 'The reason why, I guess, so many people will get angry is because - as much as I don't think the Salah incident in the penalty box was a penalty, as much as I don't think the shirt pull in the box was a penalty, that same logic applies for that free-kick which was given. So, if you're going to give that one, then there's a huge argument to say well one of those has to be... If you're giving that as a foul, you're actually going 110 yards back, and saying, "Sorry that was a foul, we're going to disallow one of the best goals of the tournament."'
He added: 'I think, and I can say what I want on here; I think it's utter and complete b***cks. I really do. No wonder there's so many theories about, "It stinks." You've got the top four in the world rankings, England, France, Spain and Argentina. If they win their group then it's guaranteed they can't meet each other until a semi-final. You've got interference from presidents making calls, and then you get that in that game because of Argentina. You think, "No wonder." You can't blame people for coming up with these theories.'
Lineker Calls for Rule Change
Gary Lineker also weighed in, demanding a change to the rules regarding VAR interventions on fouls so far from the goal. The debate highlights growing frustration with VAR's inconsistency in the tournament.
