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New Delhi: FIFA has come under scrutiny following a major VAR controversy after a disputed penalty decision in Switzerland’s 1-1 draw against Qatar sparked criticism from fans and pundits. The incident happened in the 14th minute of the Group BWorld Cup match when midfielder Remo Freuler went down after a collision with Qatar goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada in the box.

The referee pointed to the spot, and following a VAR check, a penalty was awarded, which was converted by Breel Embolo to give Switzerland a 1-0 lead. While the foul was not heavily disputed by players from either side, replays suggested that Freuler might have been offside before the incident.

The TV coverage did not show the usual 3D graphic, which confirms the potential offside decision and, with replays inconclusive, the incident has drawn huge criticism. Former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville led the criticism and said that they all think it was offside, and FIFA is the host broadcaster.

“They have the semi-automatic decision that they can show us. Why are they not showing us? They did this in the last tournament. Fans are already distrusting of FIFA and technology to start with. There is a massive question over that because it is offside in my eyes until they prove me different,” Neville said during ITV’s coverage.

FIFA issued a statement more than four hours after the incident, which included photos as evidence, and stated that a brief technical outage prevented the onside animation graphic.

“During the Qatar vs. Switzerland match in the San Francisco Bay Area, a brief technical outage prevented the onside animation graphic from being generated ahead of the penalty awarded to Switzerland in the 14th minute. The issue was quickly resolved,” FIFA’s statement said.

“The lines used by the VAR to check the position of the relevant players did not show the attacking player to be in an offside position in either of the two situations immediately before the penalty decision,” it added.

During the Qatar vs. Switzerland match in the San Francisco Bay Area, a brief technical outage prevented the onside animation graphic from being generated ahead of the penalty awarded to Switzerland in the 14th minute. The issue was quickly resolved.

The workflow of the VAR was… pic.twitter.com/ONpWxXDPE6

— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) June 13, 2026

Nestory Irankunda and Conner Metcalfe netted goals, and Patrick Beach delivered an excellent performance in goal as Australia stunned Turkey with a 2-0 victory in a Group D match on Saturday night at Vancouver. Irankunda scored the first goal in the 27th minute of the match, and Metcalfe doubled the lead in the 75th minute as the Socceroos delivered in a stellar performance in their World Cup opener.

In another match, Scotland registered their first World Cup win in 36 years on Saturday when they edged past Haiti for a 1-0 victory. Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide saved a close-range effort from Che Adams. But the ball fell to McGinn, whose shot was deflected over the Haitian goalkeeper and into the net.