The World Cup FINALLY Got a Referee Controversy | OneFootball

Much to my surprise, this World Cup has been fairly outstanding. Despite the expanded field, only a handful of matches have been stinkers. Venues appear to have been filled with genuine supporters, and not just wealthy bandwagoners with more disposable income than passion for the game. And the officiating has been, on the whole, excellent.

But until yesterday, we had not seen that World Cup hallmark: the referee controversy.

And much like celebrity deaths, it came in threes.

England vs. DR Congo – The non-penalty

The Scenario: England were finally emerging from their torpor. As the first half crept towards the whistle, Harry Kane drove into the box, scooping the ball over the Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi-Nzau, who when going to ground appeared to make contact with Kane’s leg. The striker went down, but Jordanian referee Adham Makhadmeh swiftly waved it off. Replays showed two things: 1) Kane was clearly touched by the keeper, and 2) Kane already appeared to be going to ground when touched.

The Controversy: A call of that magnitude usually gets a review. It’s not clear that Makhadmeh was asked to review from the booth, even when the visual evidence was overwhelming.

The Hooligan Take: I’m not a huge fan of VAR dictating an on-field referee’s choices (see below), so Makhadmeh sticking to his original call sits fine with me. Plus, for anyone who knows an English person, the Three Lions eventually won the match. We will, happily, not have to listen to years of Limeys whinging about how they were “robbed” by a non-call.

Belgium vs. Senegal – The soft penalty

The Scenario: In the 118th minute of a 2-2 game, Senegalese defender Camara appeared to slide into Youri Tielemans. Neither player made contact with the crossing ball, and Lukebakio’s resulting shot clanged off the crossbar. Honduran referee Saíd Martinez initially waved off all Belgian appeals, but couldn’t ignore the VAR nattering in his comms. He sauntered over to the monitor, and after a long review granted a penalty kick. 

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 01: Players react to Referee Said Martinez as a penalty kick is awarded to Belgium after the VAR review during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between Belgium and Senegal at Seattle Stadium on July 01, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

The Controversy: Seven minutes elapsed between the incident and the ensuing kick. That’s an absurdly long span. While I respect due gravitas was shown for what would be a game-deciding call, surely it can be more efficient. It also begs the question: if such a long review was needed, was the no-call a clean and obvious error?

The Hooligan Take: I want to be clear, although the penalty call led to the winning goal, it was Senegal’s inability to put the game to bed that lost them this match. For 85 minutes they were the better team. But allowing two goals in a four minute span that late? Unforgivable.

USA vs. Bosnia – The red card

The Scenario: In the 64th minute of a taut, physical match, Folarin Balogun and Tarik Muharemović fought for the ball. Both tumbled to the pitch, and Brazilian Raphael Claus gave the incident the briefest glance before allowing play to continue. This wasn’t surprising, as Claus had been extremely lenient the entire match. He allowed multiple yellow card level offenses to occur, many also without whistling for an infraction. On the next stoppage, however, he blew the whistle to check on both players.

Replays showed Balogun’s studs clearly landing on the Bosnian’s ankle, twisting it. As Muharemović received treatment, the VAR was whispering into Claus’ ear. When he trotted over to the monitors, U.S. hearts fell. His final decision: red card.

The Controversy: This was clearly a VAR intervention. Claus was showing little to no interest in his cards prior to their chirping. But once they got involved, the red card was a sad inevitability. But IF Claus had been quick with the whistle and a yellow, it’s possible that Balogun might have walked away with just a caution. After all, we saw in the England game an official with enough conviction to stick with his original decision.

The Hooligan Take: Was it harsh? Absolutely. Was it a red? Quite possibly. Could it have been a yellow? Probably. Source: Unknown

The Messi Angle, or, Why Here and not There?

This image / meme was making the social media rounds yesterday, and while I don’t always approve of this simplification of a complex call, there’s some kernel of truth here.

Source: Unknown

In the game against Algeria, Lionel Messi clearly committed a similar offense. This isn’t a still image stripping away context to make a point. But the infraction was neither called, given a yellow, or even recommended for review.

These inconsistencies are particularly frustrating when it appears that a double standard is being applied, and a global superstar allowed to walk away scott-free.