World Cup fans were left gobsmacked during the semi-final between Spain and France when the referee appeared to overturn a free-kick decision using VAR, potentially breaking FIFA's own rules regarding when VAR can be used. The incident occurred in the first half of Tuesday's match, just before half-time.
Controversial VAR Intervention
Fabian Ruiz had been adjudged to have fouled Ousmane Dembele on the edge of the box. Ruiz was apoplectic that referee Ivan Barton gave the free-kick in favour of his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate and protested the decision. However, VAR intervened and overturned the call, leaving viewers baffled.
FIFA Rules on VAR Usage
According to IFAB's website, VAR can only be used for: a. Goal/no goal, b. Penalty/no penalty, c. Red card (including a clearly incorrect second caution), d. Mistaken identity (when the referee cautions or sends off the wrong player). Free-kicks are not listed as a valid reason for VAR intervention, unless they lead to a goal or penalty.
Twitter user @nathanwooljourn wrote: "Is that not weird to anyone else. I agree it wasn’t a foul but VAR intervening on a random foul when that hasn’t been done before. Are they just making new rules up as they go now??"
Impact on the Match
The decision did not lead to a goal, but it highlighted inconsistencies in VAR application. This incident follows another controversy where FIFA broke its own rule to grant Argentina a special request before their semi-final against England.
