Among the series of mishaps and failings that caused the United States men’s soccer team to fail to qualify for the 2018 World Cup was a goal that wasn’t — or shouldn’t have been — in Panama City. Though Costa Rica defender Ronald Matarrita slid across the goal line and prevented the ball from entering […]
The German Football League has issued a statement with sharp criticism of the “massive technical problems” in the Video Assistant Referee system from service provider Hawk-Eye, calling the outages “unacceptable.” Use of the VAR system that was supposed to assist match officials on the field with game-changing decisions was either unavailable or temporarily unavailable at […]
One week into Major League Soccer implementing the Video Assistant Referee system has resulted in a decision that left even the player whose team benefited from it to speak out in protest. Orlando SC’s Kaká was shown a straight red card in stoppage time with his team trailing by two goals when his only mistake seemed […]
Soccer legend Diego Maradona has served as an ambassador for FIFA this year, and he’s supporting FIFA’s use of the Video Assistant Referee system despite being the beneficiary of a non-call that led to one of the most memorable goals of all-time — the “Hand of God.” “There have been lots of incidents where World […]
FIFA head of refereeing Massimo Busacca simulated the sounds of the heartbeat when discussing the pressure that can impact the referee on the field while making sure the Video Assistant Referee system functions properly. “They’re afraid,” Busacca said, making the heartbeat motion with his hands. “’What do I have to do? How do I have […]
