The opening stages of the World Cup have seen a flurry of new rules and tweaks to existing ones, designed to enhance fairness and reduce injustices. However, a recent incident involving VAR during a match between the United States and Paraguay has highlighted potential confusion surrounding these changes, with a widely praised decision now reportedly deemed incorrect under the letter of the law.
During the second half of the USA-Paraguay encounter, Dutch referee Danny Makkelie initially cautioned USA captain Tim Ream for fouling Paraguay forward Miguel Almiron. Following a review by Spanish VAR Carlos del Cerro Grande, Makkelie was sent to the pitchside monitor. Upon review, it became clear Almiron had not been touched. Consequently, Makkelie reversed Ream's yellow card and instead booked Almiron for simulation.
The decision was broadly welcomed by pundits and fans alike, with BBC commentator Danny Murphy stating, "Good spot and the right decision I may add. That's the main thing. Any adaptation of the rules that means diving gets punished is good." Former England defender Phil Jagielka echoed this sentiment, telling BBC Sport, "Stuff like this, it's got to help. Tim Ream gets booked - he could end up getting sent off, and he's physically not touched someone."
Despite the positive reception, well-placed sources have informed BBC Sport that Makkelie's decision was, in fact, incorrect according to the International Football Association Board (IFAB) rules. The 'mistaken identity' rule, which allows for a referee to correct a caution issued to the wrong player, is explicitly for situations where "the referee has clearly penalised the wrong player" for the same offence. It does not appear to extend to an opposing player being booked for diving when the initial foul was deemed non-existent.
This discrepancy arises because the 'mistaken identity' rule was introduced to prevent scenarios like the Euro 2016 final, where Laurent Koscielny was booked for a handball committed by Eder – the same offence. In the USA-Paraguay game, the initial offence (a foul by Ream) was corrected to a different offence (simulation by Almiron), which seemingly falls outside the intended scope of the rule. The world governing body, FIFA, is yet to offer official clarification on the matter, leaving a cloud of uncertainty over the application of VAR in such incidents.
The numerous law changes introduced by IFAB and FIFA for this World Cup, aimed at achieving greater accuracy in decision-making, appear to have inadvertently created areas of ambiguity. While the intent to prevent injustice is clear, the complexity of the new protocols risks leading to confusion among players, coaches, and officials, potentially undermining confidence in VAR despite its objective to improve the game.
Source: BBC Sport