The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has provided a formal clarification regarding Video Assistant Referee (VAR) procedures following contentious calls at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to a report by L’Équipe, the governing body noted that a standard yellow card cannot be reviewed to reassess the nature of a foul; VAR intervention for a yellow card is restricted solely to verifying the identity of the player involved.
This update emphasizes that while officials may use technology to fix cases of mistaken identity, they are prohibited from changing or overturning the initial disciplinary ruling itself. This distinction is crucial in light of the controversy surrounding Breel Embolo’s red card during Switzerland’s match against Argentina. In that incident, Leandro Paredes was initially booked, but a VAR review led the referee to rescind that card and instead issue a second yellow to Embolo for simulation, resulting in his expulsion.
IFAB indicated that this sequence represented an incorrect application of their protocols. The referee should have limited the scope of the review to identity verification rather than altering the disciplinary outcome of the play. These clarifications may eventually be codified into official FIFA tournament regulations.
