• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Huge VAR controversy at the World Cup as Croatia vs Belgium decision dubbed the 'worst ever'

Home> Football

Updated 16:24 1 Dec 2022 GMTPublished 15:47 1 Dec 2022 GMT

Huge VAR controversy at the World Cup as Croatia vs Belgium decision dubbed the 'worst ever'

Croatia thought they had a penalty against Belgium only for the tightest of offside calls to rule it out.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

Fans have been left fuming after an offside call in the Croatia vs Belgium game was branded "the worst ever".

Croatia started the brighter of the two sides in the final Group F clash and thought they had a penalty when Andrej Kramaric was fouled by Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco and a spot-kick was awarded.

Captain Luka Modric placed the ball and was ready to face Real Madrid teammate Thibaut Courtois. However, there was then a lengthy delay as referee Anthony Taylor was instructed to go to the VAR screen.

Advert

Officials checked for a possible offside in the build-up to the penalty incident and the semi-automated offside technology found that Dejan Lovren was off by the slightest of margins.


It was genuinely one of the tightest and harshest decisions ever seen, with the graphic showing that Lovren was only off by fingertips if anything.

While the call was technically correct, fans are beginning to grow frustrated with the way in which offsides are judged at present.

One user wrote: "What part of the body are they using to measure this? Shoulder?... Do they just randomly determine the most 'shouldery' part or the shoulder?"

Another said: "Scrap the line drawing marginal offsides in favour of the attacking team. It’s for the good of the game. This is so tight it would never have been called offside before the introduction of VAR.Time to tweak the rule."

A third added: "Can players not be level anymore?"

A fourth commented: "If I can’t tell who is offside from this image then it’s probably not offside."

As it stands, despite the controversy, both Croatia and Morocco are heading through to the knockout stages.

Meanwhile, the French FA are reportedly complaining to FIFA after Antoine Griezmann's goal was disallowed despite play resuming.

The IFAB – football's lawmakers – say a VAR check cannot overturn a goal once play has restarted.

Featured Image Credit: FIFA

Topics: Croatia, Belgium, Football World Cup

Josh Lawless
Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and WWE. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has covered two WrestleMania events for SPORTbible.

X

@joshlawless_

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

an hour ago
3 hours ago
4 hours ago
  • Alex Grimm/Getty Images
    an hour ago

    Jurgen Klopp could terminate Red Bull contact and make sensational return

    The former Liverpool manager's future with Red Bull is in doubt following recent rumours.

    Football
  • Getty
    an hour ago

    Cristiano Ronaldo becomes co-owner of Spanish football club as statement issued

    Cristiano Ronaldo has purchased a significant stake in a football club in Spain, where he spent a large part of his career.

    Football
  • Getty
    3 hours ago

    Real Madrid post statement as immediate ban issued after Benfica game

    The club have reacted to a disgraceful moment caught on camera during the Champions League clash.

    Football
  • CBS Sports
    4 hours ago

    Victor Osimhen leaves Micah Richards speechless with brutal comment during CBS interview

    Victor Osimhen stunned Micah Richards in his CBS Sports post-match interview following the star forward's Champions League heroics.

    Football
  • Donald Trump makes huge decision impacting World Cup nations as White House speaks out
  • Saudi Arabia and Qatar Selected As Host Nations in New World Cup Controversy
  • Senegal Players Leave the Pitch in AFCON Final After Controversial VAR Decision
  • FIFA Could Ban Second Country From Internationals After Russia World Cup Decision