After the IFAB deemed Breel Embolo's sending-off in the 2026 World Cup vs Argentina to be incorrect, FIFA stated that the situation was handled correctly by the referees. FIFA has pushed back against the IFAB’s own admission that Breel Embolo’s red card against Argentina in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals was the result of a misapplied VAR protocol. Hours after the IFAB’s circular acknowledged an error in how the “mistaken identity” clause was used, a FIFA spokesperson issued a statement defending the decision and disputing the framing that anything went wrong. The controversy took place when the referee booked Leandro Paredes for committing a foul, before VAR intervened under the mistaken identity clause and corrected the call, determining Embolo had dived. This resulted in the caution being switched to the Swiss player, which was his second yellow card, resulting in a sending-off. The IFAB’s circular stated that this specific escalation fell outside how the clause is meant to function, since it’s designed only to correct which player receives a card, not to reclassify or add consequences to the underlying offense. ⚽️ 🗣️ FIFA Spokesperson:“FIFA's interpretation of Mistaken Identity was consistently applied during the FIFA World Cup. There were two instances in which a player was mistakenly identified as having committed a yellow card offence and the VAR advised the referee to correct the… pic.twitter.com/yiAi52t58r— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) July 28, 2026 Full statement from the FIFA spokesperson “FIFA’s interpretation of Mistaken Identity was consistently applied during the FIFA World Cup. There were two instances in which a player was mistakenly identified as having committed a yellow card offence and the VAR advised the referee to correct the factual error caused by the opponent’s simulation. The simulation itself cannot be disputed and it should not result in a disciplinary sanction against an opponent that may then lead to further consequences, such as a sending off for a second yellow card or a match suspension for accumulated cautions. We do not consider this to have been a referee or VAR error and the decision restored justice. We note IFAB’s comments in its Circular, we have been in contact with them throughout and they confirmed that this interpretation is valid, that it was well received and that it will form part of the discussion on revisions to the VAR Protocol, as discussed at the last AGM,” the statement read. The other case referenced in FIFA’s statement is the near-identical situation from the group stage between the United States and Paraguay, where Tim Ream was originally booked for a foul on Miguel Almiron, before VAR corrected the identity and Almiron was booked for simulation instead. FIFA’s framing suggests it views both instances as properly handled applications of the rule, rather than as procedural errors, setting up a disagreement with the governing body that actually writes the Laws of the Game.
The IFAB acknowledged there was an error in Breel Embolo's sending-off during the 2026 World Cup quarterfinal clash between Switzerland and Argentina. Seventeen days after Argentina‘s 3-1 extra-time win over Switzerland in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals, the International Football Association Board has admitted there was an error in the red card shown to Breel Embolo during that match. The Swiss forward was sent off in the 72nd minute after a VAR review resulted in a second yellow card for simulation, a decision that shifted the momentum of the game. The sequence began when referee Joao Pinheiro had booked Leandro Paredes, believing he had committed a foul on the Swiss forward. The play was reviewed under the “mistaken identity” concept, but upon noticing how blatant the simulation was, the Portuguese official showed Embolo the second yellow card, something that, according to the governing body of the Laws of the Game, was mistaken. In a circular published on Tuesday, the governing body clarified that a yellow card, when it isn’t already a second yellow, can only be reviewed to correct the identity of the offending player, explaining the offense itself cannot be reviewed or altered once the identity has been fixed. Referee Joao Pinheiro shows a red card to Breel Embolo #7 of Switzerland. (Getty Images) That distinction is what made Embolo’s dismissal improper: the process was designed to fix who gets the card in case of booking someone who didn’t commit the foul, not to reclassify the type of infraction that led to it. A similar situation happened earlier at the World Cup A practically identical sequence played out earlier in the tournament, during the group stage clash between the United States and Paraguay. American defender Tim Ream was originally booked for a foul on Miguel Almiron, and VAR intervened to review the play. Just as with Paredes and Embolo, the review corrected the identity of the offending player, Ream’s card was rescinded, and Almiron was booked instead for simulation. It’s the same mechanism the IFAB has now flagged as improperly applied in the Embolo case, underscoring that the issue wasn’t isolated to a single match.
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