Santa Clara, June 14, 2026
FIFA issued an official clarification on the AR controversy during Switzerland vs Qatar at the FIFA World Cup 2026, stating that “a brief technical glitch” disrupted the generation of the semi-automated offside animation graphic and “workflow of the VAR was not affected by this issue.”
The incident occurred in the 14th minute of the game, when Switzerland was given a penalty kick as Qatar goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada fouled Swiss player Remo Freuler. Even though video replays looked like Freuler might have been offside before the foul, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) checked the play and decided the penalty was correct.
But fans and commentators were left temporarily in the dark when the broadcast failed to display the customary 3D animation confirming the onside decision. Former Manchester United captain turned television pundit Gary Neville slammed the world football governing body as a “dictator” after they failed to share a VAR replay of a controversial penalty decision
Stepping in to clear the air amid mounting social media controversy, FIFA issued an official clarification, stating that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) workflow remained entirely uncompromised despite the broadcast hiccup.
“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. 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,” FIFA Media stated in a public release.
However, Qatar snatched their first FIFA World Cup point as Miro Muheim’s own goal four minutes into added time earned them a 1-1 draw with Group B rivals Switzerland in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Agency)
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