Switzerland’s Breel Embolo became the first player to be sent off after a VAR review in the last World Cup quarterfinal.
Published On 12 Jul 2026
The World Cup has seen its first “mistaken identity” red card, with Switzerland’s Breel Embolo sent off in his team’s quarterfinal against Argentina in Kansas City.
Embolo became the first player to be penalised for mistaken identity when he was dismissed in the 72nd minute of the match on Saturday.
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It all began when Argentina’s Leandro Paredes was given a yellow card for a foul on Embolo, but the decision was reviewed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the 71st minute.
Play resumed but was halted once again when a VAR review was called, and the decision was not only reversed, but Embolo was shown his second yellow of the match for mistaken identity and sent off by match referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro.
Why was Embolo shown a VAR mistaken identity yellow card?
The 29-year-old was deemed to have dived while in a tackle with Paredes, but the on-field referee ostensibly did not see this and penalised the Argentinian at first.
However, the VAR team – which works from a remote location – picked up on the incident and called for a review. Once referee Pinheiro saw the replays and consulted with the VAR team, he returned to the pitch to rescind Paredes’s yellow and brandish one for Embolo instead.
The Swiss forward was walking a tightrope with a pre-existing booking and was sent off in the 72nd minute with the scores level.
How did Switzerland react to the booking?
The Swiss players and the bench remonstrated with the referee but to no avail. They were unhappy with the decision, but most experts and neutral observers agreed that the decision was correct.
Embolo was in tears and was consoled by his teammates as he trudged off.
What is a mistaken identity decision?
Mistaken identity has been termed a “match-changing” error by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), an international body that manages the laws of football.
According to its description, mistaken identity is “when the referee shows a yellow or red card but has clearly penalised the wrong player of either team for the offence in question”.
The new VAR rules in the game allow mistaken identity issues to be picked up and reviewed by the VAR team.
How did Embolo’s card affect the match?
Up until Embolo’s booking, the match was evenly poised in terms of control as well as the scoreline, which stood at 1-1 with less than 20 minutes to go until full-time.
While Switzerland held on to the score until the end of normal time, they eventually paid the price of being a man down by conceding two goals in extra time and were eliminated.
