Just two days into the FIFA World Cup 2026, FIFA has found itself dealing with a major VAR controversy after a disputed penalty decision in Switzerland’s 1-1 draw against Qatar sparked criticism from fans and pundits alike.
The flashpoint came in the 14th minute of the Group B clash when Switzerland midfielder Remo Freuler went down following a collision with Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada inside the box. The referee pointed to the spot and, after a VAR check, the decision stood. Breel Embolo converted the penalty to give Switzerland the lead.
While the foul itself was not heavily disputed, replays appeared to suggest that Freuler may have been in an offside position before the incident. The lack of a semi-automated offside graphic during the VAR review only added to the confusion, with viewers left wondering how the decision had been reached.
The absence of visual evidence quickly became the biggest talking point of the match.
Former England defender Gary Neville led the criticism during ITV’s coverage, questioning why FIFA, as the host broadcaster, had failed to show the offside technology that has become a standard part of major tournaments.
“Offside. We all think it here that it was offside. Everybody at home thinks it. FIFA are the host broadcaster, and they have the semi-automatic decision that they can show us,” Neville said.
“Why are they not showing us? They did this in the last tournament. Fans are already distrusting of FIFA and technology to start with. There is a massive question over that because it is offside in my eyes until they prove me different.”
Neville became increasingly frustrated as no replay was shown, accusing FIFA of a lack of transparency.
“It’s like a dictatorship. Honestly, it’s like a dictatorship, this. The idea that they hold this evidence internally and don’t show fans of countries that are playing in tournaments. It’s absolutely ridiculous,” he said.
“Honestly, to not show the evidence of an offside. Prove to us it’s offside. Show it straight away. Why not the transparency?”
Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright echoed those concerns, saying the failure to display the semi-automated offside graphic was difficult to understand.
“With the semi-automatic line, why haven’t we seen that? We actually don’t need to see it, we see it in the Premier League every week, he looks offside, I just don’t understand it. They do what they want; they’re sitting in the office. It’s a scandal,” Wright said.
As criticism mounted, FIFA issued a statement explaining why viewers never saw the offside animation.
According to the governing body, a brief technical outage prevented the graphic from being generated during the review of the penalty incident.
“During the Qatar vs Switzerland match in the San Francisco Bay Area, a brief technical outage prevented the onside animation graphic from being generated ahead of the penalty awarded to Switzerland in the 14th minute. The issue was quickly resolved,” FIFA said.
FIFA insisted that the outage did not affect the VAR process itself and that officials had access to all the tools required to review the incident.
“The workflow of the VAR was not affected by this issue and followed the normal procedure in checking the on-field decision. The lines used by the VAR to check the position of the relevant players did not show the attacking player to be in an offside position in either of the two situations immediately before the penalty decision,” the statement added.
The explanation may settle questions over the missing graphic, but it is unlikely to end the debate surrounding the decision itself, particularly after replays fuelled widespread suspicion that Freuler had strayed beyond the last defender.
The controversy overshadowed an otherwise competitive contest. Switzerland looked set to begin their campaign with all three points after Embolo’s first-half penalty, only for Qatar to find a late equaliser and rescue a 1-1 draw.
FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup Schedule | FIFA World Cup Points Table | Football News
– Ends
