The International Football Association Board has clarified that Switzerland striker Breel Embolo should not have been sent off during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final against Argentina.
According to French sports daily L’Equipe on Tuesday, IFAB, which governs the Laws of the Game, issued a circular confirming that the Video Assistant Referee protocol was misapplied in the incident.
The body stated that “a yellow card, which is not a second yellow card, can only be reviewed to identify the player who committed the foul; the foul itself cannot be reviewed/modified.”
L’Equipe reported that the IFAB established VAR could intervene in cases of error over the identity of a cautioned player, “but not to reverse the sanction, particularly in simulation situations.”
The error made by VAR and the referee in this situation was that they should not have reversed the initial decision, as there was no mistake regarding the identity of the player being sanctioned.
