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Going with the times kills the joy
American press reports have confirmed that the video assistant referee (VAR) technology has gone from a safety net to a “joy-killer” after it spoiled the 2026 World Cup round of 16 match between Egypt and Argentina and sparked widespread outrage that could see the technology removed from the World Cup for good.
In the 78th minute of last Tuesday’s match, Mostafa “Ziko” after crossing the entire field scored a wonderful goal against Egypt, but the joy of the Pharaohs did not last. VAR intervened to disallow the goal, citing a mistake made by Egypt about 90 meters from the goal at the very beginning of the attack.
The decision not only changed the course of the match, but also changed the course of the tournament as Egypt lost 3-2 and bowed out of the World Cup, while controversies ensued that continue to this day.
After the events that followed the confrontation that pushed the Egyptian national team out of the World Cup, the newspaper described:Wall Street JournalThe American described the incident as “the worst video assistant referee technology has ever seen.”
On Thursday, the American newspaper said in a strong editorial.
The newspaper directly called for an end to the use of technology at the World Cup, arguing that it “no longer looks like a safety net, but has become a joy-depriving device, as if created by evil robots to steal the surprise and absorb the spirit of the beautiful game”.
Critics of the technology say what happened in the Egypt-Argentina game is the epitome of a major “mouse” crisis, as fans no longer celebrate goals before waiting for the video signal, and players now record for fear of a small screen that may pop up minutes later to tell them what they did didn’t happen.
