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VAR has undoubtedly been the most controversial addition to the world of football in recent years, and since its inception, it seems that we can’t go a single week without witnessing some kind of eyebrow-raising call from the system, particularly in the Premier League.
However, the idea behind VAR is undoubtedly a good one, and in fact, there have been calls for years for football to make use of video technology, particularly in order to help referees make the correct calls in some difficult circumstances.
The following 5 incidents, for instance, could certainly have made use of a VAR intervention – and had that happened, things could’ve been very different.
#1 The Hand of God – Argentina vs. England, 1986 World Cup
One of the most infamous moments in football history occurred during the 1986 World Cup quarter-final between bitter rivals England and Argentina, the first time that the two nations had faced off on the pitch since the Falklands War between the two in 1982.
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At the end of the first half, with the game still tied at 0-0, the ball was sent into the air by a skewed clearance by England’s Steve Hodge, and as it dropped towards the goal, Argentine forward Diego Maradona leapt into the air to challenge goalkeeper Peter Shilton – and appeared to head it into the empty net.
Replays, however, confirmed Maradona had in fact punched the ball into the net with his left hand – but as the referee and his assistants failed to spot it, the goal was given despite the protests of the England players. Later, the Argentine labelled the move the ‘Hand of God’.
Had VAR been in effect, though, there’s no way the goal would’ve stood; a quick check would’ve confirmed Maradona’s handball and the strike would’ve been chalked off – with the forward potentially facing a red card for blatant foul play. And if he had been sent off, then his incredible second goal would never have happened – and England would’ve advanced into the semi-finals of the tournament, changing history entirely.
#2 Carlos Tevez’s offside goal – Argentina vs. Mexico, 2010 World Cup
Perhaps the most controversial VAR calls this season have been centred around the offside rule, with goals being chalked off seemingly every week due to offsides that have been too close to call. Often, it feels like a player can’t even afford to be a millimetre offside due to the way that the system has been implemented. However, through the years we’ve seen some goals allowed despite blatant offsides, and the 2010 World Cup saw one of the most flagrant.
The round of 16 in the tournament saw Argentina face off with Mexico, and after 26 minutes, La Albiceleste had the ball in the back of the net, striker Carlos Tevez getting his head onto what seemed to be a goalbound effort from Lionel Messi. However, a replay – also shown in the stadium – appeared to confirm that Tevez, who was yards from the goal line, was blatantly offside.
Somehow though, the referee missed the infraction entirely and allowed the goal to stand. The shellshocked Mexicans couldn’t believe the decision, particularly when the replay was visible, and a fracas broke out soon after. Unfortunately, their team couldn’t get back into the game, and Argentina won out 3-1 – with Tevez scoring a second goal later on.
Given that Tevez himself later admitted that he knew he was offside, there can be no doubt that the pedantic VAR system would’ve ruled this goal out – and had it been disallowed, there’s every chance that Mexico could’ve sprung what would’ve been a major upset.
#3 Mings stamps on Ibrahimovic – Manchester United vs. Bournemouth, Premier League 2016-17
One feature that we’ve seen from VAR on numerous occasions this season is the red card review; essentially, if the VAR referee feels that the on-pitch official has been too lenient with a challenge or an off-the-ball incident, they can step in to advise that a red card be shown to the offending player.
2019-20 has seen the likes of Son Heung-min and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fall victim to this aspect of VAR, but if the system had been in place in the 2016-17 campaign, there can be no doubt that Tyrone Mings – then of Bournemouth, now starring for Aston Villa – would’ve seen red for an incident in the Cherries’ 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
The first half of the game saw Mings tangle with United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic – and moments later, as the Swede found himself grounded, it appeared that the Cherries defender blatantly stamped on his head. The referee failed to notice the incident – meaning Mings was not even booked – and minutes later the official also failed to spot Ibrahimovic’s revenge – an elbow to Mings’ head when the two jumped for a header in the box.
Both men ended up being banned by the FA for their conduct; Mings received a 5-match ban while Ibrahimovic was banned for 3 games, but had VAR been in use at the time, the Swede would’ve escaped any sanction, purely because the future England defender would almost certainly have been red-carded for the stamp.
#4 Lampard’s ghost goal – Germany vs. England, 2010 World Cup
The 1966 World Cup final between England and Germany saw a highly controversial goal from Geoff Hurst, whose shot may or may not have actually crossed the line. 44 years later, an equally controversial incident occurred in the game between the two nations in the 2010 World Cup’s round of 16 – and this time England came off much worse.
After the Germans took an early 2-goal lead, England fought back with a goal from Matthew Upson. Just minutes later, Frank Lampard fired a lobbed shot from the edge of the box that went over German keeper Manuel Neuer, hit the bar and bounced over the goal line before bouncing back out into Neuer’s arms.
Somehow, the referee failed to register the fact that the ball had crossed the line – and immediately chalked off the goal. England were left shell-shocked and eventually succumbed to a 4-1 loss. Had VAR – or even the current goalline technology system – been in use, though, after a review, Lampard’s goal would almost certainly have been allowed.
Had the goal rightly been given, England would’ve gone into half-time with the game tied at 2-2 and would probably have held a psychological advantage due to the nature of their comeback. And if that were the case, then the game could’ve seen a different outcome entirely.
#5 Henry’s handball – France vs. Republic of Ireland, 2010 World Cup qualifying
The current rules of football now state that any goal scored following a handball – be it from the goalscorer or one of their teammates – must be disallowed, and the 2019-20 edition of the Premier League has seen a number of such infractions, with an example being Gabriel Jesus’ chalked off goal for Manchester City against Tottenham Hotspur in August.
Jesus’ goal was preceded by an accidental handball, but in the qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup, a key goal was scored following a blatant handball – allowing France to head to South Africa for the tournament at the expense of the Republic of Ireland, causing plenty of controversy and plenty of damage to the reputation of Thierry Henry.
The two sides were facing off in a two-legged playoff for a spot at the tournament, and after France defeated Ireland 0-1 at Croke Park, a Robbie Keane goal at the Stade de France was enough to send the tie into extra time.
With a penalty shoot-out seemingly looming, a Florent Malouda free-kick found its way to Henry inside the goal area – and the Barcelona striker handled the ball twice, stopping it going out of play and bringing it under control before crossing for William Gallas to head home.
Quite how the referee – who allowed the goal – missed the infraction was anyone’s guess, and naturally the Irish players were furious. But despite the protestations, the goal stood and France won the tie via the away goals rule.
Had VAR been in effect though, there’s simply no way the goal would’ve stood; if anything, Henry may have faced a sanction for the blatant handball. And had the game gone to penalties, then who knows what might’ve happened?
