We’re looking at all VAR decisions made throughout the 64 matches of the 2022 World Cup. VAR crucially awarded Japan’s winning goal against Spain, ruling that the ball had not gone out of play.
After each match, we take a look at the main incidents to examine and explain the process in terms of both the VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game.
– Full World Cup VAR review: All decisions analyzed
VAR ball: Ball in play for Tanaka’s goal
What happened: Japan thought they had scored a second goal in the 51st minute when Ao Tanaka scored when Kaoru Mitoma cut the ball back from the goal line, but the assistant’s flag went up as the ball was offside of play for a goal kick.
VAR decision: goal, ball in play.
A goal-line camera showed Kaoru Mitoma just holding the ball in for Ao Tanaka to score. AP Photo/Petr David Josek
VAR review: For the VAR, Mexico’s Fernando Guerrero, to overturn the assistant’s decision, he must have definitive evidence that part of the ball is on the line. It’s important to note that it’s not just about the ball hitting the ground. The curvature that protrudes from the line also counts, even if a very small part of the ball does. (FIFA’s new tracking technology cannot be used to determine whether the ball is in or out of play).
A photograph from a camera at goal-line level appears to show that a small part of the ball went over the line. This would give the VAR the proof it needs to overturn the on-field decision and award a goal.
But that image appeared on the Associated Press image service more than an hour after the game. FIFA did not provide the evidence during the match, and this is one of VAR’s inherent problems: communication with fans. Until then we had not seen any clear evidence that the ball touched the line when Mitoma clipped it to Tanaka.
This previous image was not clear that the ball was in play. GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images
FIFA’s lack of communication about VAR overturns at this tournament has highlighted the disconnect between the system and the fans; clarity is never offered at any point. Unlike the Premier League, where the VAR feed is shared with broadcasters during a review, FIFA controls the output. If VAR is to be truly accepted, it needs to be vastly improved.
It was the goal that eliminated Germany from the World Cup.