FIFA responds to IFAB’s statement about an important refereeing mistake in the Argentina World Cup match.
FIFA has shared its thoughts after the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the group that sets football rules, explained the VAR process following Switzerland captain Breel Embolo’s sending-off during the World Cup quarter-finals against Argentina.
In the 72nd minute, with the score tied 1-1, Embolo got a second yellow card for simulation after he fell under a challenge from Argentina’s Leandro Paredes, who also received a yellow card. But after a VAR check, the caution was taken off Paredes and switched to Embolo, who was then shown a red card for his second yellow. This was the first time a player was sent off using the ‘mistaken identity’ rule.
Argentina later won 3-1, knocking Switzerland out of the tournament.
On July 28, IFAB explained the rules for similar situations to referees after a meeting with European football refereeing leaders. They said referees should only change decisions if they are “blatantly incorrect.”
The statement said, “A yellow card that isn’t a second yellow can only be reviewed to see which player committed the offense; the offense itself can’t be changed.”
IFAB added that while using the mistaken identity rule for simulation was accepted during the World Cup, it can’t be used that way until a full review of the VAR rules is finished. They also said situations like Embolo’s shouldn’t lead to a sending-off and that the rule was used wrongly at the World Cup.
FIFA responded by saying its way of handling the mistaken identity rule was consistent throughout the 2026 World Cup. A spokesperson said, “There were two times when a player was wrongly identified for a yellow card, and VAR helped fix it. The simulation isn’t disputed, but it shouldn’t cause unfair punishments against the other player, like a second yellow or a suspension.”
“They don’t see this as a referee or VAR mistake, but a fair correction,” the spokesperson added. “We’ve spoken with IFAB, and they agree this approach is valid and will be part of future VAR rule discussions.”
UEFA, football’s European body, also spoke up about VAR use. They said referees agreed to focus on “minimum interference – maximum benefit” when using VAR.
UEFA explained, “VAR should only step in for ‘clear and obvious’ mistakes—when a referee’s call is obviously wrong or a clear incident was missed. VAR isn’t there to re-referee the whole match, but to help referees stay in charge.”
They also said long, detailed VAR checks usually show the original decision wasn’t clearly wrong and should be avoided.