Argentina World Cup VAR ‘conspiracy’ grows as IFAB guidelines on ‘mistaken identification’

Argentina were at the centre of a number of controversies during the 2026 World Cup, and new information has emerged suggesting one decision that went in their favour might’ve been wrong after all

Argentina may have fallen short in the World Cup final, but the controversy surrounding their 2026 campaign continues to rumble on. La Albiceleste faced criticism for their conduct during various knockout fixtures, with accusations that their players were behaving like hooligans through reckless challenges.

Certain online conspiracy theories even went so far as to claim that World Cup officials were deliberately biased towards Argentina. While many of these allegations were far-fetched at best, fresh evidence has emerged suggesting one ruling that benefited Argentina may indeed have been incorrect.

It concerns the red card Switzerland’s Breel Embolo received during the quarter-final encounter against the 2022 champions. Already carrying a yellow card, Embolo collapsed under what appeared to be a challenge from Argentina’s Leandro Paredes, who was also cautioned for the supposed foul.

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However, upon replay, it became evident that Embolo hadn’t been touched whatsoever, with the striker having thrown himself to the ground in a bid to deceive the official. The referee utilised the updated ‘mistaken identity’ rule to reassess the incident, resulting in Embolo’s dismissal.

However, according to the FIFA -endorsed rules panel known as IFAB, the incident – regardless of how blatant Embolo’s dive appeared – was not eligible for review. In a statement, IFAB declared: “A yellow card (caution) other than a second yellow card can only be reviewed to identify the player who committed the sanctioned offence; the offence itself cannot be reviewed or amended.”, reports the Express.

“The use of the mistaken identity clause to address simulation during the 2026 FIFA World Cup was well received and will be included in the detailed review of the VAR protocol (…) However, it may not be used as such until that review is concluded.”

This occurred at a point when Switzerland were on level terms in the match and striving for a decisive goal. Instead, they were compelled to hang on until extra time and ultimately succumbed to the South American team.

Responding at the time, Switzerland manager Murat Yakin stated: “The VAR and referee, the fact they introduced such a rule is unnecessary and I try to put it in very kind words but I think it is extremely hurtful. We are not going to go to the semi-finals but I think we deserved to be there.

“We were punished for a rule that is completely unacceptable. I don’t understand. It is very painful we are eliminated that way. I don’t think we deserved it and in my opinion our boys are the real heroes.

“The referee makes that one decision that he interfered, it is completely misunderstandable. That is a situation that happened many times previously. He awarded a yellow card. This rule destroyed our game today.

“There was definitely no reason to award that yellow card, I don’t understand it, it was a harmless situation, he should have let the ball freely.”