Why Switzerland is FURIOUS: Embolo’s VAR red card for diving

Originally reported connected July 12, 2026, from Kansas City, Mo.

What Happened successful the Big Match?

Imagine the World Cup (the biggest shot tourney connected the planet) quarterfinal (a make-or-break crippled to spot who reaches the apical 4). Switzerland was playing against Argentina. The crippled was ace close, tied 1-1, and went into extra time (bonus playing minutes due to the fact that the people was inactive tied aft regular time). Eventually, Argentina won 3-1. But the communicative everyone is talking astir isn’t conscionable the score—it’s a confusing regularisation and a astonishing reddish card.

The Controversial Call: Embolo’s Red Card

Here is the step-by-step, playground-style breakdown of what happened successful the 2nd half:

1. Breel Embolo (a Swiss subordinate whose main occupation is to people goals, called a "forward") fell implicit during a play.
2. Leandro Paredes (an Argentine player) touched him, and the referee (named João Pinheiro) initially gave Paredes a informing paper (called a "yellow card") for tripping.
3. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR)—think of them arsenic replay helpers watching connected TV—looked again. They saw Embolo was already falling before Paredes adjacent touched him. This is called "simulation" (acting similar you got fouled erstwhile you didn’t).
4. Embolo had already gotten a yellowish paper earlier successful the game. In soccer, if you get 2 yellowish cards, you get a red card and are sent disconnected (kicked retired of the match).
5. Because of the video review, Embolo got his 2nd yellowish card, it turned into a red, and helium had to leave. Switzerland had to play the remainder of the crippled with lone 10 players alternatively of 11.

Important Point: This was a monolithic momentum swing! Just moments before, Switzerland’s Dan Ndoye had scored to necktie the crippled 1-1. The Swiss squad was feeling assured and playing great, but abruptly they were down a player.

Why Was Switzerland So Upset?

The Swiss squad and their coach, Murat Yakin, were perfectly furious. Here is why:

• Nico Elvedi (a Swiss defender) said: "I conscionable don’t recognize however VAR tin marque that benignant of decision."
• Coach Yakin explained that aft the tie, they were "dominant" and "controlled the game." He wanted to enactment fresh, accelerated attacking players connected the tract to support the unit on.
• Yakin said: "The reddish card, we are punished due to the fact that of a regularisation that is, to me, perfectly incomprehensible. Of people it hurts enormously that we were eliminated successful this way. We didn’t merit that today."
• He besides felt the referee shouldn’t person fixed Paredes a yellowish paper successful the archetypal place, calling it a "harmless foul—or if it was adjacent a foul astatine all."
• Yakin added: "For a concern wherever beforehand determination should person been yellowish cards respective times, helium gave a yellowish card… They support their referee implicit a regularisation that destroyed our crippled today… First of all, for maine determination was not a azygous crushed to springiness the Argentine subordinate a yellowish card. He simply should person fto play continue. He corrected his ain mistake against us, and well, afterward you could spot that we were playing with 1 less man."

The Special Rule That Made It Worse

This concern utilized a circumstantial regularisation called the "mistaken identity" protocol.

• In elemental terms: This regularisation lets the video refs measurement successful and hole things if the incorrect subordinate is shown a informing paper (yellow oregon red).
• This was really the second time successful World Cup past that a yellowish paper has been overturned utilizing this nonstop protocol.
• Because the referee primitively gave Paredes a yellowish paper for the trip, the VAR was allowed to look astatine it. When they saw Embolo faked it, they gave the 2nd yellowish to Embolo instead.
• Had Paredes not been booked astatine all, the video refs would not person been allowed to intervene nether this rule.

Key Takeaway: The manager felt the strategy "protected their referee implicit a regularisation that destroyed our crippled today."

How Did the Players and Coach React?

The emotions were earthy aft the game:

• Embolo was successful tears aft being ordered to permission the tract by referee João Pinheiro, and needed hugs from his teammates connected the sideline.
• Coach Yakin defended him, saying: "You tin ideate however Breel feels… He had been attacked respective times beforehand, and helium had 2 oregon 3 bully phases successful the attacking game. But afterward helium could nary longer assistance the team. To blasted him present is perfectly absurd. He ever works for the team, helium ever had bully moments successful our game, of people he’s devastated that helium couldn’t assistance the team."
• Granit Xhaka (the Swiss squad captain) said the reddish paper wholly changed their game. He described the locker country arsenic "very quiet, disappointed," and said: "This determination was hard to judge present aft the crippled due to the fact that the dressing country was precise quiet, disappointed."
• Ultimately, Argentina scored 2 precocious goals successful other clip (by Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez) to triumph 3-1.

A Look astatine the History Books

Sadly for Embolo, helium joined a precise tiny and unwanted club:

• He is lone the 4th subordinate successful the past 60 years of the World Cup to get a 2nd yellowish paper for "simulation" (faking a foul).
• The different 3 players were:
  1. Luis Pérez (from Mexico, successful 2006 against Portugal)
  2. Asamoah Gyan (from Ghana, successful 2006 against Brazil)
  3. Francesco Totti (from Italy, successful 2002 against South Korea)

Summary

In a nail-biting World Cup quarterfinal, Switzerland was tied 1-1 with Argentina and playing amazingly well. But a video reappraisal (VAR) changed everything: Swiss striker Breel Embolo was fixed a reddish paper for faking a foul, forcing his squad to play with 1 little player. The Swiss manager and players called the ruling "incomprehensible" and felt the "mistaken identity" regularisation unfairly destroyed their accidental to win. Argentina went connected to people 2 much goals successful other time, winning 3-1 and breaking Swiss hearts.

FAQ

1. What is simply a reddish card, and wherefore did Embolo get one?
A reddish paper means a subordinate is kicked retired of the game. Embolo got 1 due to the fact that helium already had a yellowish paper (a warning), and the video reappraisal gave him a 2nd yellowish for pretending to beryllium fouled (simulation). Two yellows adjacent 1 red.

2. What does VAR mean?
VAR stands for Video Assistant Referee. It’s a squad of officials who ticker the crippled connected screens and assistance the main referee hole wide mistakes utilizing video replays.

3. What is the "mistaken identity" regularisation successful soccer?
It’s a regularisation that lets VAR measurement successful if the referee shows a yellowish oregon reddish paper to the wrong player. In this case, the ref archetypal carded the Argentine player, which opened the doorway for VAR to reappraisal and paper Embolo instead.

4. Did Switzerland person a accidental to triumph earlier the reddish card?
Yes! They had conscionable tied the crippled 1-1 and their manager said they were "dominant" and controlling the match. Losing a subordinate made it overmuch harder, and they yet mislaid 3-1 successful other time.

5. Has this happened to different celebrated players?
Yes, Embolo is the 4th subordinate successful 60 years to get a 2nd yellowish for simulation astatine a World Cup, joining Mexico’s Luis Pérez, Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan, and Italy’s Francesco Totti.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly and The Associated Press contributed to this report.