A controversial expansion of the video assistant referee mistaken identity rule led to the ejection of Swiss forward Breel Embolo during Switzerland's World Cup quarter-final loss against defending champions Argentina on Saturday at Kansas City Stadium.
The ruling forced Switzerland to play a man down for 67 minutes, culminating in a 1-0 extra-time defeat following a late goal by Julián Álvarez.
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The International Football Association Board recently expanded the rule definition to penalize a diving player if an opponent was initially booked in error.
Portuguese referee João Pinheiro initially handed Argentina's Leandro Paredes a yellow card for a challenge on Embolo, but video assistant referee Guillermo Pacheco Larios recommended a review.
Footage showed Embolo diving before contact, shifting the booking to him and triggering a red card due to a prior caution.
Switzerland Coach and Players React
Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin expressed severe dissatisfaction with the refereeing decisions during his post-match press conference.
"It's completely not understandable," said Yakin.
The manager argued that the newly implemented regulatory framework severely compromised the competitive integrity of the quarter-final fixture.
"I know that they will protect their referee but this rule destroyed the game today," said Yakin.
Yakin further questioned the initial assessment of the on-field situation by the refereeing crew before the video review took place.
"First of all, there was definitely no reason to award that yellow card," said Yakin.
The coach maintained that the interaction between the two opposing players did not warrant such significant disciplinary intervention.
