VAR technology fault leaves offside question unanswered in World Cup match
6 reported1 unconfirmed
A technical fault with the semi-automated offside system at the World Cup left questions unanswered after a penalty was awarded to Switzerland in their 1-1 draw with Qatar. The incident involved Switzerland’s Remo Freuler, who was brought down by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, leading to a penalty converted by Breel Embolo. Before the tournament, FIFA promoted its enhanced semi-automated offside system, which used scanned player avatars to provide accurate offside illustrations. After a delay of more than four hours, FIFA released a statement citing a “brief technical outage” that prevented the generation of the onside animation graphic. The statement said VAR lines showed no offside, but the released images were described as unconvincing. Commentator Gary Neville expressed doubt, stating the play appeared offside until proven otherwise. The article notes that in domestic leagues using similar technology, VAR can fall back to drawing lines when the advanced system fails.
What’s reported
The incident occurred in Saturday’s World Cup Group B match in Santa Clara, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Switzerland’s Remo Freuler was brought down by Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, leading to a penalty scored by Breel Embolo.
FIFA released a statement saying a “brief technical outage prevented the onside animation graphic from being generated.”
The statement said VAR lines showed no offside in either of the two situations before the penalty decision.
Gary Neville said on ITV before the statement: “We all think it here [that it was offside].”
The article notes that in domestic leagues using semi-automated offside, VAR can revert to drawing lines if the technology fails.
Open questions
Whether Remo Freuler was offside before the penalty incident.
Key figures
Remo Freuler (Switzerland player)
Mahmoud Abunada (Qatar goalkeeper)
Breel Embolo (Switzerland player, penalty scorer)
Gary Neville (ITV commentator)
Sources: BBC News
