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World Cup Refereeing: VAR Interventions and Controversies Analyzed

World Cup referee checking VAR monitor
England football fans celebrating a World Cup victory
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World Cup referees have generally performed well, with VAR correcting most errors, though some decisions have sparked debate.

Thomas Tuchel criticized the officiating after England's win over Mexico, calling it unreliable.

However, many decisions have been correct, including the disallowed Egypt goal against Argentina and the red card for England's Jarell Quansah.

Key VAR Interventions

VAR correctly overturned Quansah's tackle on Jesús Gallardo to a red card. The challenge met the threshold for excessive force and endangering an opponent.

Egypt's disallowed goal was right: Marwan Attia fouled Lisandro Martínez in the attacking phase, with the ball moving forward until it entered the net.

Argentina's winning goal stood as Julián Alvarez's contact on Mohamed Salah was minimal and not a foul.

Controversial Calls

Vinícius Júnior's disallowed goal for Brazil against Scotland was contentious. The contact was minimal, and the on-field decision of goal should have stood.

Harry Kane was denied a penalty against DR Congo, but the VAR correctly upheld the on-field decision as it was not a clear error.

France received a penalty after Désiré Doué was fouled by Paraguay's Diego Gómez, a correct VAR intervention.

Leroy Sané's goal for Germany against Ecuador was allowed despite Aleksandar Pavlovic kicking Pedro Vite in the head.

The VAR deemed it not a foul, a surprising decision.

Overall, 13 red cards have been issued, up from four in each of the previous two World Cups, reflecting a focus on player safety.

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