FIFA makes big VAR update just hours before England vs Argentina in the World Cup
England is getting ready for their exciting World Cup semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday night, and FIFA has made a change to VAR that will affect both teams.
The Three Lions secured their spot in the semi-finals with a tense 2-1 win over Norway in the quarter-finals, thanks to more heroics from Jude Bellingham. He first canceled out Norway’s early goal just before halftime, then scored again in extra time to send England through to their fourth World Cup semi-final.
Bellingham was the star again at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, but he wasn’t the only one making headlines. England, like many teams in this tournament, faced several controversial VAR decisions. One key moment was when a penalty that looked clear for England was overturned, even though Djed Spence seemed to be fouled inside the box.
Other teams, like Egypt, were also unhappy with VAR during their tough 3-2 loss to Argentina. Egypt had a goal ruled out, and they felt officials made the wrong call. The Egyptian FA even released an angry statement after the match, as VAR and the referees have been under a lot of pressure for their decisions.
To address these concerns, FIFA is moving VAR officials to the stadium for England’s semi-final against Argentina in Atlanta. Before this, VAR referees were working remotely from a central hub in Dallas, no matter where the game was played.
This new setup with on-site VAR is a big change. The officials will be there to help if there are any technical problems or communication issues during the important match. The referee for this game will be American Ismail Elfath, with Corey Parker and Kyle Atkins as assistants, and Maurizio Mariani as the fourth official.
Interestingly, Lionel Messi has never lost a game refereed by Elfath, but England will hope to change that as they chase their first World Cup final in 60 years.
Dan Hunt, an FC Dallas owner and FIFA World Cup committee member, explained why VAR moved on site: “There’s a lot of drama in these games. When only four officials try to watch everything on such a big field, it’s really tough. I’m glad VAR will be on site now, though I’m not sure how the communication will work.”
Bringing VAR closer to the action might not completely solve the issues, since they still have to make the right calls, something that’s been tricky this tournament. But FIFA needed to show they’re trying to improve things and calm the fans down. Hopefully, this will help make the refereeing better in the final games.