In a pivotal moment during Tuesday's World Cup round of 16 match, Egypt's hopes of taking a commanding lead over Argentina were dashed when a VAR check intervened, disallowing midfielder Mostafa Zico's breakaway goal in the 58th minute.
The goal, which would have put Egypt up 2-0, was nullified after a VAR review determined that midfielder Marawan Attia had fouled Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez prior to the goal, sparking controversy over the VAR's reach.
"Surely, this is not within VAR's [realm] to review this," FOX Sports analyst Rob Green said on the broadcast. "It's a full length of the pitch away."
FOX Sports soccer officiating expert Dr. Joe Machnik, however, supported the decision, explaining that the foul, which occurred during Argentina's attack, should have resulted in the goal being disallowed.
"A foul in the attacking phase of play, which leads to a goal or possession by the team that [scores] a goal can result in the goal being disallowed and being given a free kick," Machnik explained.
A Decision Beyond VAR's Reach
FOX Sports' soccer rules analyst, former FIFA referee Mark Clattenburg, disagreed with both the call and the VAR review, stating that the foul was not clear and the VAR intervention was unwarranted.
"I don't believe that A. it was a foul and B. there should be a VAR intervention to disallow this goal," Clattenburg told us after the match.
Clattenburg pointed to the lack of consistency in enforcement throughout the World Cup, with similar incidents not receiving VAR's attention.
VAR Intervention and Protocol
Machnik elaborated on the call, explaining that the process used to disallow the goal was correct and followed the VAR protocol.
"It has long been part of the VAR protocol, this was one of the earliest things that they decided, that they didn’t want a foul which led to the scoring of a goal to enable that goal to be given," Machnik said.
Egypt's Reaction to the Disallowed Goal
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan expressed his disagreement with the VAR check, stating that he was not convinced with the outcome and felt that his team had been treated unfairly.
"I’m not convinced with this outcome. I’m not convinced with the way things unfolded during this match," Hassan said, via The Associated Press. "We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice."
