Read for 2 minutesUpdated: 28 July 2026 09:47 PM IST
Football’s law-making body IFAB said on Tuesday that the dispute over the Argentina matches had not ended even after the World Cup ended nearly a week and a half ago. Not to be sent to Brill Embolo, Switzerland During the quarter-final against La Albiceleste.
Embolo received a second yellow card in the second half with the score tied at 1-1. Argentina struck twice in extra time to beat 10-man Switzerland 3-1 in Kansas City. The 29-year-old went down after a challenge from Leandro Paredes and referee Joao Pinheiro initially booked the Argentina midfielder. But VAR informed the referee that Paredes had not committed a foul and Pinheiro booked Embolo for simulation.
“A yellow card (caution) without a second yellow card (caution) can only be reviewed to identify the player who committed the punishable offence; the offense itself cannot be reviewed / changed. The ‘mistaken identification clause’ was used during the FIFA World Cup to deal with simulations and will well be included in the VAR 2026 review. The protocol… however, cannot be used until that review is completed,” IFAB said.
Switzerland’s head coach Murat Yakin criticized VAR after the match for not having a football winner.
“I won’t say that they were favored. Our match was fair and open. Both teams played football. Football was not the winner today. We were punished by mistake, not by our side. It was a decisive moment that determined the outcome of the match. We can complain now — but I congratulate Argentina,” Yakin said.
“He was fouled many times and had some good moments in this game, but then he couldn’t help the team any more. I don’t blame him. Of course, he’s broken because he couldn’t help the team. It was the referee’s fault,” he added.