‘No penalties’: VAR showed his latest innovation in Argentina’s debut at the Under-20 World Cup

Argentina AND Uzbekistan play at the beginning of Sub 20 world a match that is played at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades de Santiago de Abroad. The match between the hosts and the Asians started with a goal and with a peculiarity that took place in the middle of the first half: the LAUNCH intervened and the French referee Francois Letexier he had to speak over loudspeakers to explain his decision.

31 minutes into the match, and shortly after the team he manages Javier Mascherano scores the 1-1 of the partial, Uzbekistan reaches the Argentine area again and Giay seems to touch Makhamadjonov.

The referee did not hesitate and scored a penalty, a determination that by protocol was reviewed by the VAR awaiting confirmation. It was at that moment that his colleagues warned Letexier that the San Lorenzo boy had touched the ball first and the penalty penalty might not be so clear. And there came the news.

Letexier approached the monitor and after observing the action, entered the playing field and activated his microphone to announce from the stadium speakers: “No penalty”, which was understood by everyone in Santiago because the reaction is been relieved at the alternative that Asians were biased.

“After reviewing the play, the final decision is that there is no penalty. The ball is cleared first,” said the referee, speaking in English. And it was shouted like a goal.

The VAR takes the floor

This innovation promoted by FIFA has to do with the communication of the decisions that the main referee takes after a review by the VAR and is given through a microphone connected to the stadium’s loudspeakers. The goal is that the spectators present can hear and understand the determination. What will not be heard publicly are the conversations that take place between the head judge and the VAR and AVAR judges.

These are tests agreed with the IFAB (International Football Association Board), the association that regulates the rules of football. This same innovation was already tested for the first time at the last Club World Cup in Morocco.

That tournament was won by Real Madrid. Referee Ma Ning was tasked with ushering in the new version of the protocol with loudspeaker explanation, in the match between Al Ahly and Auckland City.

In the hours before the start of the Under 20 World Cup, the relative technical checks were carried out on the loudspeakers of the Mother of Cities, where New Zealand and Guatemala played first, with a 1-0 victory for the Oceanics.