Morocco make VAR history with “green card” overturn

September 30 – A piece of football history unfolded in Chile as Morocco stunned Spain 2-0 in the opening game of the FIFA U20 World Cup – and in the process became the first beneficiaries of FIFA’s new “green card” system. 

The green card, now being trialled in Chile, gives head coaches the right to formally challenge refereeing decisions and request a VAR review. Each team is allowed a maximum of two appeals per game, designed to limit frivolous stoppages while adding a new layer of accountability to officials.

The mechanism was triggered for the first time in the Morocco-Spain clash, as Morocco coach Hicham Dmia disputed a penalty call by flashing his green card – ultimately prompting the on-field decision to be overturned.

The reprieve kept Morocco ahead, and later seal the match with a second goal to claim top spot in Group A.

The green card represents another attempt by FIFA to expand technology’s reach in football, while also trying to rebuild trust in refereeing integrity after a snowballing amount of high-profile controversies brought on by the controversial addition of VAR.

By empowering coaches to initiate reviews, FIFA hopes to defuse some of the controversy that has dogged VAR since its introduction. The change allows decisions to be challenged in real time – with the risk that an unsuccessful appeal costs the coach one of their limited challenges.

FIFA is taking a page from Americanised sports such as the NFL and tennis, where challenges have long been part of the drama. But questions will inevitably follow. 

For a fanbase already frustrated with technological officiating bleeding into the flow of the game, adding enforced VAR checks runs the risk of turning matches into stop-start spectacles.

It could also present a new opportunity for gamesmanship from the technical area, deliberately slowing down games to gain an advantage.

The question is also hovering around how broadcasters, already sensitive to timing issues, would embrace another layer of delays, and whether referees would feel undermined by coaches challenging them from the touchline.

FIFA has confirmed the green card trial will run across the entire tournament before a decision is made about expanding the concept to senior competitions. If deemed successful, it could herald one of the most significant tweaks to officiating in decades.

Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1759230914labto1759230914ofdlr1759230914owedi1759230914sni@g1759230914niwe.1759230914yrrah1759230914