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'VAR Must Stay, But Offside Decisions Need To Focus On Players’ Feet': Bhutia
The FIFA World Cup: Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia has backed the continued use of VAR in football but suggested that offside decisions should be judged primarily by the position of a player’s feet rather than other body parts.
Bhutia’s remarks come after one of the most debated incidents of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32, when Croatia’s dramatic late equaliser against Portugal was disallowed following a VAR review.
Croatia believed they had levelled the match in the 103rd minute when Josko Gvardiol tapped home after Mario Pasalic had squared the ball across the goal. However, VAR ruled the goal out for offside after determining that Croatian forward Igor Matanovic had made a slight touch on the ball before it reached Pasalic. FIFA later confirmed that the touch was detected using the Connected Ball Technology and IMU sensors embedded inside the official Trionda match ball.
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