Switzerland has finally received official confirmation, even if it comes too late to change the outcome. On Monday, IFAB confirmed that Breel Embolo should never have been sent off during Switzerland's World Cup quarter-final defeat to Argentina in Kansas City.
The law-making body acknowledged that VAR was incorrectly used to overturn the referee's original decision, meaning Embolo's second yellow card for simulation should not have stood.
The finding closes one chapter of a controversy that followed Argentina throughout the tournament, amid persistent claims from some observers that officials, intentionally or otherwise, applied the rules in Lionel Messi's favour. The timing is awkward for IFAB, too.
The organisation has been reviewing its VAR protocol since March, and Monday's admission suggests the issue extended far beyond a single controversial afternoon in Kansas City.
IFAB Confirms Embolo's Red Card Was A Refereeing Error
In the 72nd minute, with the score tied 1-1 after Dan Ndoye's equalizer, Breel Embolo went down under a challenge from Argentina's Leandro Paredes. Referee Joao Pinheiro initially booked Paredes for the foul. VAR then intervened.
Pinheiro was sent to the pitchside monitor and reviewed the incident under the "mistaken identity" protocol. After watching the replay, he overturned his original decision, ruling that Embolo had simulated the contact.
Paredes' yellow card was withdrawn, while Embolo was shown a second booking for simulation and sent off. IFAB has now confirmed that the decision breached its own protocol. In a clear statement, football's law-making body said a caution
"Can only be reviewed to identify the player who committed the sanctioned offence" and cannot be used to change the nature of the offence itself.
Pinheiro did not simply correct the identity of the cautioned player. He changed the offence itself, swapping a foul for a simulation charge, and that's exactly what the rule doesn't allow.
How The VAR Decision Changed Switzerland's World Cup Exit
The mistaken identity provision exists for one specific purpose: correcting cases where a referee cautions the wrong player for an offence that unquestionably occurred, such as confusing two teammates during a crowded penalty-box incident.
That was not what happened in Embolo's case. Rather than identifying a different player as the offender, Pinheiro overturned his original decision altogether, ruling that no foul had been committed and instead cautioning Embolo for simulation.
That decision left Switzerland playing with ten players for the remainder of the match. They played the rest of regulation and all of extra time with ten men and lost 3-1 after Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez scored in the additional 30 minutes.
IFAB Identified A Second VAR Protocol Error
IFAB's statement also revealed a detail that has received little attention: the same clause was used a second time during the tournament, with the card transferred to Paraguay's Miguel Almiron after referee Danny Makkelie reviewed the incident on his pitchside monitor.
That review benefited the United States rather than Argentina. Meaning the pattern wasn't isolated to one team or one match. FIFA, notably, doesn't accept IFAB's framing at all.
A FIFA spokesperson pushed back directly, arguing the calls correctly punished simulation rather than wrongly transferring blame, and insisting the outcome "restored justice" rather than compounding an error.
“FIFA's interpretation of Mistaken Identity was consistently applied during the FIFA World Cup. There were two instances in which a player was mistakenly identified as having committed a yellow card offence, and the VAR advised the referee to correct the factual error caused by the opponent's simulation.
“The simulation itself cannot be disputed, and it should not result in a disciplinary sanction against an opponent that may then lead to further consequences, such as a sending off for a second yellow card or a match suspension for accumulated cautions.
“We do not consider this to have been a referee or VAR error and the decision restored justice. We note IFAB’s comments in its Circular; we have been in contact with them throughout, and they confirmed that this interpretation is valid, that it was well received and that it will form part of the discussion on revisions to the VAR Protocol, as discussed at the last AGM.”
By confirming a second misuse of the protocol, IFAB showed the problem was not confined to Argentina's quarter-final, pointing instead to a wider issue with how the rule was applied during the tournament.
Why Switzerland's Elimination Still Stands Despite The Error
Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said the decision "destroyed our game" and insisted his team did not deserve to be knocked out under those circumstances.
"There was definitely no reason to award a yellow card," Yakin said. "It was a harmless situation. He should have let the play continue."
"We were punished because of a rule that is unacceptable. I don't understand it. The fact that they intervened unnecessarily is extremely hurtful. It's a rule that has nothing to do with football. It destroyed our game today. We have to accept it, but it is painful to lose that way," he added.
Any change to how the mistaken identity clause works will come out of IFAB's wider VAR review, not from this one confirmation alone. The result stands regardless.
Argentina remains in the tournament, Switzerland remain out, and the rule stays exactly as written until that review is finished.
