World Cup 2018: 5 controversial decisions that involved VAR
After over a month of adrenaline-rushing drama and endless plot twists, the biggest sporting spectacle in the world, the FIFA World Cup has finally come to an end. France lifted the coveted trophy for the second time in history by defeating a spirited Croatian side.
The full-time football devotees turn their attention to their clubs now as the seasonal fans wait for four and half years.
There has been a lot of positives to take from this World Cup, which has been a superb one from a neutral's perspective. This is the first time technology played a very major and direct role in football, with Video Assistant Referees (VAR) being introduced. Like in any other field, technology had both a positive and a negative effect on the beautiful game.
While some teams got justice with the help of VAR, it has also committed some blunders and hence has received a fair bit of criticism. Let us have a look at the 5 biggest blunders of VAR in the tournament:
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo's red card offence v Iran
Not only goals, but VAR also intervened in fouls. In Portugal's last group stage match against Iran, Cristiano Ronaldo's foul was checked and re-checked several times by referee Enrique Caceres before he gave the new Juventus number 7 a yellow card. He blatantly elbowed his opponent and hence the Iranians wanted a more stringent decision.
Many football experts have also blamed the referee of being more lenient than he should be, as they thought the foul was too barbaric to be overlooked. Moreover, it was an off-the-ball incident. Iran's coach Carlos Queiroz expressed his disgust after the game which ended 1-1, with Iran getting a controversial penalty.