Embolo first player sent off under FIFA mistaken identity rule
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- Embolo was shown a second yellow in the 72nd minute for simulation during Switzerland's quarter-final against Argentina, becoming the first player sent off under FIFA's new mistaken identity rule at this World Cup.
- Referee Joao Pinheiro initially booked Argentina's Leandro Paredes for the foul until VAR sent him to the monitor, where he determined Embolo had dived and reversed the decision.
- FIFA introduced the mistaken identity rule at referees' chief Pierluigi Collina's request, allowing officials to overturn a booking if the foul was actually committed by the opposing player.
- Embolo had equalized for Switzerland just five minutes before the red card and left the pitch in tears in Kansas City, consoled by teammates.
- Pundits Bradley Wright-Phillips and Jobi McAnuff on ITV had limited sympathy, with Wright-Phillips saying Embolo 'cost his team maybe getting through to the semi-finals.'
- Argentina won 3-1 in extra time against the 10 men and will face England in the semi-finals, live on BBC.
- The rule's first use came earlier in the tournament when Dutch referee Danny Makkelie overturned a yellow against USA's Tim Ream and instead booked Paraguay's Miguel Almiron for simulation — a reversal officials had not previously been permitted to make.
Why it matters: FIFA's new mistaken identity rule, pushed by referees chief Pierluigi Collina, now allows VAR-driven reversals of bookings — a tool previously off-limits to officials. Embolo's red card is the first consequential test of the rule at a World Cup, and it directly decided a quarter-final: Switzerland equalized moments before the dismissal and lost 3-1 in extra time to 10-man Argentina, who advance to face England.
