An in-depth analysis of FIFA's VAR controversy during the World Cup, exploring the implications of mistaken identity on the game and its players.
FIFA is in the news for all the wrong reasons. It reads like an Agatha Christie novel—filled with whodunnits and shadowy figures lurking just beyond the spotlight. I shall pretend to be Christie's famous Hercule Poirot, though I lack his magnificent moustache, writing from the bottom of the African continent.
This is the case of the mistaken identity, and the scene is set.
It was 1–all in the 67th minute when Argentina's Leandro Paredes was shown a yellow card following a tackle on Breel Embolo. A video review revealed that the Swiss player was already falling before Paredes made contact—so Embolo was given a yellow card under the "mistaken identity" protocol being used at this World Cup.
Is this the villain of the piece? Or are some facts and mysterious figures still missing?
