06/26/2024
The Copa América has been the scene of several controversial actions in which the VAR has been the protagonist, generating discussions and analysis on each day of the competition.
The confrontation between Argentina and Chile revived the controversy over the use of VAR. The first five minutes were barely played when Chile approached Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martínez’s goal with a cross into the area. In his attempt to reject the ball, defender Cristian ‘El Cuti’ Romero raised his arm and hit Víctor Dávila in the face with his elbow.
Conmebol, in its effort to make refereeing decisions transparent, has revealed the audios of these plays. In this case, the referees pointed out that although Romero raised his arm, there was no intention to hit with his elbow, describing it as normal friction in the dispute for the ball.
Another controversial action occurred in the 27th minute. In a split ball, Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul reached the ball, but with the momentum, he hit the studs on Gabriel Suazo’s shin. The Uruguayan referee Matonte did not call a foul and allowed the game to continue. Following the VAR review, it was determined that the inertia of the play prevented De Paul from removing his foot, which led to contact.
Lautaro Martínez’s goal was also the subject of discussion. The Chilean players claimed offside, but after drawing the lines, it was concluded that there was no offside and the goal was validated. “According to the rules, a player who is at the same height as the penultimate opponent or the last two opponents will not be offside. The VAR identified that the player who shot was authorized because he had the defender and the goalkeeper in front of him,” Conmebol explained.
VAR also played a crucial role in other games. In Colombia’s debut, a handball by Daniel Muñoz in the area was not sanctioned after the VAR review. Conmebol published the VAR audios where the referees can be heard agreeing that there was no reason to sanction a penalty: “There is a hand that cannot be sanctioned,” they declared from the VAR booth.
Another controversy occurred in the 83rd minute when referee Darío Herrera initially called a penalty in favor of Colombia after a fall by Yerry Mina in an aerial play. However, after an on-field VAR review and an exhaustive analysis of the images, the referee changed the decision to a bounce, determining that the dispute had been normal and without fault.
In the match between Ecuador and Venezuela, the VAR influenced the expulsion of Enner Valencia. Initially, judge Wilmar Roldán admonished Valencia for an “action typical of the game.” However, minutes later, Chilean Juan Lara called him from the VAR to review the play for a potential red card. “Wilmar, I recommend you watch it again in On Field Review, I’m going to show you the camera where he hits the face, in a delicate area, with the plugs,” Lara said.
Since the implementation of VAR in the Copa América, there have been four expelled thanks to the intervention of video arbitration, three of them Ecuadorians: José Quintero in 2019, Piero Hincapié in 2021 and Enner Valencia in 2024. The other affected was the Paraguayan Fabián Balbuena in 2019.
Colombia has been the most affected in terms of penalties not sanctioned with the VAR, adding three occasions in which penalties have been annulled using this tool. In 2019, Colombia suffered two penalties annulled: one against Qatar and another against Paraguay, to which is added the annulled one in the debut of this edition against Paraguay.
Despite the controversy, experts believe that the VAR has been used appropriately. Former FIFA referee and referee analyst, Oscar Alexis Gutierrez, said that the tool has provided guarantees. “There have been plays that need interpretation, which are reviewed in any case and in that range of interpretation, action has been taken according to protocol. The situations in the penalty area and offside are the most reviewed, as well as expulsions for serious rough play; I think that the use of the tool has been correct,” he said.
Gutiérrez also mentioned the controversial plays, but left the VAR well off. “We have seen momentous decisions such as the expulsion of the Ecuadorian player where the tool helped our representative Roldán make a fair decision expelling the player for serious foul play. In the situation of Argentina’s goal against Chile, it was clear that there was no offside.”
Regarding the action of Rodrigo De Paul, Gutiérrez commented: “It could be seen that the player took a risk without being a cause for expulsion. I think that until now it has been an appropriate use of the tool, a correct intervention by the VAR members.”
The Copa América continues to advance, and with it, VAR continues to be a crucial tool to ensure justice on the field of play, despite the inevitable controversies that always accompany football.
