Why was Breel Embolo send off for Switzerland after stunning VAR decision in World Cup quarter-final?

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Breel Embolo was left distraught and in tears after the Switzerland forward was dragged off following his red card in the World Cup 2026 quarter-final against Argentina.

The Swiss forward initially earned a foul with Leandro Paredes handed a yellow card in a collision that saw him tumble with his legs sprawling, though replays suggested that he appeared to at least make the most of the contact.

And under new Fifa World Cup rules, a VAR check considered mistaken identity, landing the Swiss forward in trouble, with simulation then considered as a subsequent decision.

Upon review, referee Joao Pinheiro opted to change his mind, removing the yellow for the Argentina midfielder and instead giving it to Embolo, which was his second, leading to a red card with the score tied at 1-1.

“After review, there is no foul for No 5 [Paredes], No 7 [Embolo], there is a clear simulation, final decision, yellow card for No 7 [Embolo],” Pinheiro said to the Kansas City crowd.

Embolo was then inconsolable after the decision, realising his costly error, with Denis Zakaria heard screaming at the official and pleading with him to not hand out the yellow card, before moving to haul his teammate off the field before any protests escalated.

During the subsequent hydration break just minutes later in the 75th minute, Granit Xhaka could be seen approaching Pinheiro and remonstrating furiously over the decision, with his side’s chances of advancing to a first-ever World Cup semi-final in the balance.

Referee Joao Pinheiro, of Portugal, gives a red card for Switzerland’s Breel Embolo (7) (AP)

Switzerland's Denis Zakaria consoles Breel Embolo with after he is shown a second yellow card and red card — Switzerland’s Denis Zakaria consoles Breel Embolo with after he is shown a second yellow card and red card (Reuters)

“I think it’s one of these situations, by the letter of the law, it has to be a yellow card,” Jobi McAnuff said on ITV Sport “He’s waiting for the card, he’s initiated the contact, clearly, they’ll see that as simulation, to send him off in a game of this magnitude, it feels harsh.”

While Bradley Wright-Phillips had less sympathy for the player, instead sympathising with how costly it could be for his teammates: “That’s embellishment. I feel for his teammates, he’s maybe cost his teammates.”

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