No matter what you think about referees, Saturday night was another chapter in the book detailing how a nation\u2019s hopes could be dashed by a small plastic rectangle.<\/p>\n
It was 72 minutes into Switzerland\u2019s World Cup quarterfinal against Argentina in Kansas City. The score was, just a few minutes prior, locked at 1-1, after Dan Ndoye finished around the Albiceleste\u2019s Emi Mart\u00ednez, cancelling out Alexis Mac Allister\u2019s opener.<\/p>\n
Looking to press on with new momentum, Swiss striker Breel Embolo looked to control the ball on edge of the Argentine third, when, to referee Joao Pinheiro, it appeared that Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes had cleaned out Embolo from behind.<\/p>\n
Pinheiro, who was also the man in the middle for South Africa and Canada\u2019s Round of 32 match, duly brandished a yellow card to Paredes.<\/p>\n
Except, moments later, the Portuguese referee was called to the monitor for a potential case of \u2018mistaken identity\u2019.<\/p>\n
On the replay, it was clear that Embolo had embellished the foul, dropping to the ground as Paredes moved across behind him. While simulation would have normally resulted in a yellow card, Embolo had already been booked once in the 44th minute, making this his second bookable offence of the match.<\/p>\n
Related Read: Argentina reach World Cup semifinals with extra time win vs. Switzerland, will play England next<\/a><\/p>\n The controversy? How a situation between two players on two different teams, wearing two vastly different kits, could be \u2018mistaken identity\u2019.<\/p>\n The cause, as GiveMeSport\u2019s Ben Jacobs explained<\/a>, lies with a change to IFAB\u2019s wording of the mistaken identity law to read unclearly when \u201cthe wrong player of either team for the offence in question\u201d has been penalized. IFAB, or the International Football Association Board, manages the sport\u2019s Laws of the Game.<\/p>\n Under a strict interpretation of the rules, the reviews were allowable, and even correct, but still don\u2019t sit well within the spirit of the game, where \u2018mistaken identity\u2019 to most people, leads to a flashback when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was incorrectly sent off<\/a> instead of his Arsenal teammate Kieran Gibbs in a 2014 Premier League match against Chelsea.<\/p>\n Wrong player, but crucially, same team.<\/p>\n The problem with the new \u2018mistaken identity\u2019 rule is that it sets a dangerous precedent.<\/p>\n Breel Embolo dived, so if called on the field it\u2019s a second yellow, but that wasn\u2019t the decision.<\/p>\n Yet an amendment to IFAB wording before the tournament states: \u201cWhen the referee shows a\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/xKhopGR7DU<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The reaction on Saturday night, as with FIFA\u2019s bold decision to waive Folarin Balogun\u2019s one-game ban for the USA\u2019s Round of 16 match against Belgium<\/a>, and when Egypt\u2019s Mostafa Ziko had his first goal ruled off, also against Argentina, in the Round of 16<\/a>, was swift.<\/p>\n \u201cI find that we\u2019re now officially entering the zone of re-refereeing the game.\u201d@ChristinaUnkel<\/a> discusses whether the right decision was made when Leandro Paredes\u2019 yellow card was rescinded and given to Breel Embolo \ud83d\udc40 pic.twitter.com\/fxNzBmo3gO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CBS Sports Golazo \u26bd\ufe0f (@CBSSportsGolazo) July 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n 4- Breel Embolo is the fourth player on record to receive a second yellow card for simulation in the FIFA World Cup and the first since Asamoah Gyan for Ghana vs. Brazil in 2006.<\/p>\n Dive. pic.twitter.com\/R5b4lPOUQb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Embolo, the man in red, was shown a red card for what VAR described as simulation. \u2014 Cool_Ustaaz \u262a (@Cool_Ustaz) July 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8 If VAR can intervene for Simulations and Yellow Card Offences Why didn’t the VAR ask the Ref to give him a Yellow for diving, as they did for Embolo?<\/p>\n Different Rules for Argentina and the others in the same game\ud83d\ude24pic.twitter.com\/RecucOakB7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Preeti (@MadridPreeti) July 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddf7 The Telegraph has published an in-depth piece examining the conspiracy theories surrounding Argentina’s World Cup campaign.<\/p>\n The newspaper looks at several of the claims that have fuelled debate throughout the tournament, including:<\/p>\n \u25aa\ufe0f Lionel Messi avoiding a possible red\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/5e9G8skc7r<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Football Tweet \u26bd\uea00 (@Footballtweet) July 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n
We’ve had enough.
FIFA should just end this tournament and hand the trophy to Argentina. At this point, this is absolutely ridiculous! \ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffe\u200d\u2642\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/spba8vBHdy<\/a><\/p>\n