VAR diving decision at World Cup wrong despite feeling right

The World Cup has started with four games, three opening ceremonies, and victories for two host nations, alongside an entertaining draw. Despite issues with ticket prices and access for officials, the tournament is gaining momentum. With eleven consecutive days of four matches followed by three days of six, fans are also adapting to several rule changes that have caused confusion among players, coaches, and viewers.

VAR and the Mistaken Identity Rule

During the match between the United States and Paraguay, Dutch referee Danny Makkelie stopped play early in the second half after US defender Antonee Robinson headed the ball out of the penalty area. Initially unclear, it emerged that Spanish VAR Carlos del Cerro Grande had instructed Makkelie to review his decision to caution US captain Tim Ream for a foul on Paraguay forward Miguel Almiron. Replays showed Almiron had not been touched, so Makkelie reversed the caution and booked Almiron for diving instead.

Many observers welcomed the decision, believing it applied the tweaked 'mistaken identity' rule. BBC commentator Danny Murphy said, "Good spot and the right decision I may add. That's the main thing. Any adaptation of the rules that means diving gets punished is good." However, the decision may have been legally incorrect.

Legal Basis Questioned

According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), mistaken identity can only be used when the referee "has clearly penalised the wrong player" for a specific incident. The wording states: "The offence itself cannot be reviewed." This means the rule does not cover cases where an opposing player is incorrectly booked due to a dive. Well-placed sources told BBC Sport that Makkelie's decision was wrong, even if it felt right. FIFA has yet to clarify the situation.

Former England defender Phil Jagielka supported punishing diving. "I'm a defender, so I don't mind," he told BBC Sport. "Stuff like this, it's got to help. Tim Ream gets booked – he could end up getting sent off, and he's physically not touched someone. It's hard for the referees to get every decision correct. If something like that does happen, where there's obviously not been contact and it's been simulated and the referee has fallen for it, why not reverse it? The only thing is, what happens if I touch you a tiny bit and then you dive? You can't reverse it, because I've touched you, even though my touch hasn't made you collapse and fall over. Where do you draw the line?"

Analysis: A Mess of Rule Changes

IFAB and FIFA have introduced numerous law changes for this World Cup, leading to confusion among referees. On the surface, overturning Ream's yellow card to book Almiron for diving seemed a sound decision—the kind of VAR intervention fans can support. However, it was never the intention of the rule, and it appears to violate both law and VAR protocol.

During briefings over the past six months, head of referees Pierluigi Collina did not mention diving in relation to mistaken identity. Collina has been eager to prevent injustice, adding similar checks for corners, free-kicks, and second yellow cards. In the pursuit of perfection, confusion has resulted. The law change regarding cautions for the wrong player was introduced after Euro 2016, when France's Laurent Koscielny was booked for handball that was actually committed by Portugal's Eder—the same offence.