Read 3 minutes12 Jul 2026 06:55 PM IST
Switzerland’s head coach, Murat Yakin, condemned VAR after their quarter-final match against Argentina. Swiss forward Brielle Embolo, who initially received a yellow card in the game, was later given a second one, resulting in a red card. Embolo’s subsequent absence affected Switzerland’s balance and Yakin said the red card was not needed.
“We got punished for a mistake. There was no reason for that red card. I don’t understand it. It was an innocent situation; there was nothing malicious about it. We got punished for a refereeing mistake and our game plan was completely disrupted,” he said.
“That decision was just unbelievable. I completely disagree with it. There was clear contact, and I don’t understand how the referee and VAR came to that conclusion,” he added.
Although the coach explained that Argentina did not favor the game and said that the referee had done the right thing, he ultimately claimed that football was not the 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.
Argentina vs Egypt debate
The VAR was criticized by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) after Argentina came back from 0-2 down to win the Round of 16 match 3-2. EFA said many decisions made during the game had a direct impact on the outcome.
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“The Egyptian Football Association cannot remain silent about the referee’s decisions seen during the match against Argentina, as well as the failure to use the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system properly. Several key incidents have raised serious concerns and left deep questions about the consistency and fairness of the decisions that directly affected the course of the game,” said a statement posted on social media.
“Many football experts and specialist analysts, both locally and internationally, have highlighted incidents of controversial and influential refereeing during matches. This underlines, in particular, the importance of maintaining the highest standards of integrity, fairness and transparency in a tournament of such prestige and importance as the FIFA 26 World Cup.”