Story thread · 3 reports / 2 sources

FIFA pushes back on IFAB over Breel Embolo’s World Cup sending-off vs Argentina

worldsoccertalk.com · 13dShare

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 func

First report: It was an error: IFAB confirms Argentina were favoured v Switzerland — sports.yahoo.com, 14d