New York, July 14: Introduced to eliminate clear and obvious refereeing mistakes, Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology has instead emerged as one of the biggest talking points of the FIFA World Cup 2026, with players, coaches and supporters divided over whether it is improving the game or taking away its spontaneity.
The latest controversy came during England’s quarter-final victory over Norway when a goal by Torbjørn Heggem was ruled out after VAR spotted Erling Haaland pushing England midfielder Elliot Anderson in the build-up. Norway also felt England’s equaliser should have been disallowed after the ball appeared to strike an overhead camera cable before the attack.
Norway captain Martin Ødegaard criticised the officiating after the match, while Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, claimed on social media that his team had been “robbed”.
According to Antonio Vuksanović of sports analytics platform Sofascore, VAR had reviewed or overturned more than 100 decisions by the end of the Round of 16, averaging around 0.5 reversals per match—more than at the previous World Cup and the latest club season.
The tournament has reignited debate over the consistency of VAR interventions. While FIFA says the technology is meant to correct only “clear and obvious” errors, critics argue similar incidents have often produced different outcomes, leaving teams frustrated over inconsistent interpretations.England head coach Thomas Tuchel was among those to voice concern, describing the refereeing as “erratic” and “unreliable”, adding that the standards had “not been good enough”.
VAR was introduced after high-profile controversies at the 2010 World Cup, including Thierry Henry’s handball that denied Ireland qualification and Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal against Germany despite the ball clearly crossing the line. The technology made its World Cup debut in 2018.This year’s tournament has produced several contentious decisions. Argentina have found themselves at the centre of multiple VAR debates, with rival fans nicknaming the defending champions “VARgentina”, although many experts believe the rulings were correct under the Laws of the Game. Croatia also suffered heartbreak when a late equaliser against Portugal was disallowed after ball-tracking technology detected the slightest touch from an offside teammate.As the World Cup reaches its climax, VAR continues to divide opinion. (Agencies)
