Here’s why the VAR review for Switzerland’s penalty wasn’t shown after the controversial World Cup match explained
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The reason why the VAR decision for Switzerland’s controversial penalty in their 1-1 draw with Qatar wasn’t shown on screen has now been explained.
On Saturday night, Switzerland started their 2026 World Cup campaign with a disappointing 1-1 tie against Qatar at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. Switzerland controlled much of the game and could have scored several goals, but in the end, they only managed to get a penalty early on, scored by Breel Embolo.
The referee, Said Martinez, gave the penalty after Qatar’s goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada tackled Remo Freuler inside the box in the first half. But this moment became one of the most talked-about parts of the World Cup because replays seemed to show that Freuler was offside before the challenge.
After the first replay, commentator Lee Dixon said, “There’s no doubt it’s a penalty, but my arm did go up for offside. For the run there, he’s offside. This shouldn’t count. He just wandered off. The referee didn’t see that and pointed to the spot.”
Despite that, after a careful review, the penalty was still given, and Embolo scored. Since then, many clips and freeze frames have been shared online, with fans wondering why the penalty call wasn’t overturned.
FIFA-licensed referee Christina Unkel explained on ITV that the new VAR offside technology, introduced before this World Cup, was used to check if Freuler was onside. She said the system is very precise, measuring down to the centimeter. Even though it looked close, the technology confirmed Freuler was onside, and that’s why the penalty stood.
Unkel also mentioned that FIFA doesn’t have to show the video proof of the VAR check, even though many fans wanted an explanation.
She added, “With all the advanced tech and 3D mapping of players, we thought FIFA would show these close calls. It would help fans trust the decisions more. Usually, they only show replays when a decision changes, but they have the tech, so why not use it?”
Even with this explanation, ITV commentator Neville wasn’t happy with FIFA’s choice not to share the footage. He said, “We all think it was offside here. Everyone at home thinks so. FIFA has the technology and could show us the decision. It looks offside to me unless they can prove otherwise. Fans already don’t trust FIFA. It feels like a dictatorship. Why keep this evidence secret? Show us the proof right away. We need transparency.”
Ian Wright agreed, saying, “They do what they want. They’re in the office watching it live. It’s scandalous.”
So, while the VAR decision stands, many fans and experts are still calling for more openness from FIFA about how these tough calls are made.