Breel Embolo’s ejection in the World Cup quarterfinal between Argentina and Switzerland (3-1 in extra time) sparked a lot of debate. With the score tied at 1-1, the Swiss forward was sent off with a second yellow card for diving after being tackled by Leandro Paredes.

It was the Argentine midfielder who had initially been shown a yellow card by referee João Pedro Pinhero, who had mistakenly deemed that he had committed a hard tackle on Embolo. VAR prompted the Portuguese referee to review the play by activating the “Mistaken Identity” protocol.

Under this new rule, VAR can now instruct the referee to review a decision in cases of mistaken identity, where the wrong player was penalized. In other words, if Paredes had been given a simple foul instead of a yellow card, there would have been no VAR intervention and Embolo would not have been sent off!

“If play resumes after being stopped, the referee may only review the incident once and impose the appropriate disciplinary sanction, in cases of mistaken identity or for a potential offense leading to a red card related to violent conduct, spitting, biting, or behavior that is extremely offensive, insulting, or humiliating,” states the new regulation.

*photo source: AP