VAR Books Diver Instead of Victim in World Cup First
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- VAR overturned Tim Ream's yellow card and instead booked Miguel Almiron for diving, marking the first VAR intervention for mistaken identity in World Cup history during the US-Paraguay Group D match at SoFi Stadium.
- Dutch referee Danny Makkelie was sent to the screen by VAR after initially cautioning the 38-year-old Ream for a challenge on Almiron, with the US already leading 3-0.
- FIFA, under referees chief Pierluigi Collina, introduced the mistaken identity rule for this tournament specifically so VAR could change bookings when the wrong player was sanctioned.
- Another new FIFA rule allows second yellow cards leading to red to be reviewed, but not first yellow cards — which is why the mistaken identity law was the only legal path to rescinding Ream's caution.
- Officials controversially allowed the free-kick to be taken before stopping play to review, which confused fans since play normally cannot be pulled back after restarting.
- The United States, managed by Mauricio Pochettino, won the Group D opener 4-1, with Folarin Balogun scoring twice, an own goal from Damian Bobadilla, and Giovanni Reyna capping it with a curling 20-yard shot off the outside of his right foot on the final kick.
Why it matters: The first-ever World Cup use of VAR for mistaken identity put FIFA's new rule — requested by referees chief Pierluigi Collina — into action, giving officials a mechanism to correct wrong-player bookings. The concrete result: Almiron's simulation, which the new mechanism transformed into a caution, drew praise from BBC pundit Danny Murphy, who called any rule that increases punishment for diving 'good.'
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