Канзас-Ситид болсон Дэлхийн аваргын шөвгийн наймын тоглолтод Швейцарын довтлогч Бреел Эмболо улаан хуудас авснаар багийнх нь тоглолтын төлөвлөгөө бүрэн алдагдлаа.
Тоглолтын 67 дахь минутад Швейцар тэнцээний гоолыг оруулснаас таван минутын дараа маргаантай үйл явдал өрнөв. Шүүгч Жоао Пинейро эхлээд Аргентины Леандро Паредест шар хуудас үзүүлсэн ч ВАР-ын зөвлөмжөөр Бреел Эмболог “торгуулийн талбайд унаж жүжиглэсэн” хэмээн үзэж, шийдвэрээ өөрчилсөн юм. Эмболо өмнө нь шар хуудас авсан байсан тул хоёр дахь шар хуудсаа авч талбайг чөлөөлөхөөс өөр аргагүйд хүрчээ.
Швейцарын хагас хамгаалагч Ремо Фройлер энэ шийдвэрийг “гай гамшиг” хэмээн тодорхойлж, шүүгчийн үйл ажиллагаанд эргэлзэж буйгаа илэрхийлэв. Багийн ахлагч Гранит Жака тоглолтын дараа хэлэхдээ, дүрэм ёсоор шүүгчийн шийдвэрийг хүлээн зөвшөөрөх ёстой ч ийм төрлийн шийдвэр нь тоглолтын эрч хүчийг “алдаг” гэж шүүмжилсэн юм.
Аргентины эсрэг 11-үүлээ тоглосон бол хожих бүрэн боломжтой байсан гэж Жака үзэж байна. Улаан хуудасны дараа Швейцар тоглолтын төлөвлөгөөгөө өөрчлөн 10-уулаа үлдсэн бөгөөд нэмэлт цаг хүртэл тэсвэрлэхэд хүндрэлтэй байсныг онцоллоо.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Switzerland midfielder Remo Freuler described the decision to use VAR to send off his team-mate Breel Embolo in its World Cup quarter-final loss against Argentina as a “disaster”, while team captain Granit Xhaka said the video reviews to adjudicate such offences can “kill” a game.
Just five minutes after Switzerland had drawn level with Argentina in the second half of the game in Kansas City, forward Embolo found himself shown a red card after new rules implemented for the World Cup saw him receive a second yellow card for diving — after the Video Assistant Referee had intervened to overturn a yellow card given to opponent Leandro Paredes.
At first glance, it appeared that Argentina midfielder Paredes had tripped Embolo, with Portuguese referee Joao Pinheiro pulling out a yellow card for the Argentinian.
The VAR team, which is headquartered at the International Broadcast Center in Dallas for every match, then intervened. Looking at multiple replays, which appeared to show there had not been any contact and Embolo had thrown himself to the ground, it was recommended that Pinheiro review the incident. As the images played out, it emerged that the referees were studying the replays for “mistaken identity” — i.e. that the wrong player had received a yellow card.
After review, Pinheiro withdrew the booking for Paredes and showed one instead to Embolo. Given the Swiss player had already been booked in the first half (for fouling Paredes, ironically), that meant a red followed.
What do the rules say?
Guidance from FIFA does not limit match officials to interpreting the ‘mistaken identity’ rule to players of the same team. The rules say that “if the referee penalises an offence but has clearly misidentified the player who committed that offence, only the identity of the offender can be reviewed.”
Under regulations brought in for the World Cup, the reviewable decisions and incidents now include mistaken identity when the referee shows a yellow or red card but clearly penalises the wrong player of either team. As such, Pinheiro was correct in reversing his original decision, leaving Embolo in tears and in need of consoling by team-mates.
The irony here is that if the referee had not shown a yellow card to Paredes, the incident could not have been reviewed on the merits of Embolo’s dive alone. It required a card to be shown to Paredes in order to trigger the protocol.
How Switzerland reacted
Switzerland’s midfielder Freuler, speaking to reporters after the game, was not happy at all with the refereeing decision that saw Embolo sent off in the 67th minute.
“It’s just a disaster,” he said. “I don’t know what this referee is doing here. I don’t know, I don’t understand why they call it for a situation like this, because there were many fouls, made also in the first half, maybe he has to also to call them for a yellow card. So I don’t understand. How can a VAR change a game with this situation?
Xhaka also believed the decision cost Switzerland the game, with his team having to abandon its game plan following the red card, playing the rest of normal time and the 30 minutes of extra time with 10 men.
Embolo (center) was emotional after his red card (Odd Andersen / AFP via Getty Images)
“We had a good start,” Xhaka said. “We conceded from the corner, but after that, in my opinion, you saw just Switzerland. We had the ball, we didn’t create a lot in the first half.
“They didn’t have anything else in the first half, just a corner goal. The second half was our game. We knew that step by step, we can take more risks.
“We took it, we scored on the pitch, we felt very good. We had more energy, we had more belief as well, and the red card changed everything. I think the red card changed our game plan, what we had from the beginning, which was very positive.
“If you have to lose because of one decision from the referee, it is painful. But it was his decision. It’s difficult to accept now after the game, because the dressing room was very quiet, disappointed, but if you are disappointed after playing against this Argentina team, it shows a big mentality for this team.”
Asked for his view of VAR’s expanded remit for these types of offences, Xhaka said: “The rules are the rules, and we can’t change the rules, but it’s a decision where you kill the game.
“It is my opinion. I don’t know what else he can do, but just don’t kill the game. I think that we were so good in the game inside. I believe that 11 against 11, we will have had them, but it is very difficult to find the right words after the game.”
