Gary Neville has labelled Fifa “a dictatorship” after a failure to release a VAR replay used to decide a tight semi-automated offside call during Switzerland’s draw with Qatar at World Cup 2026.
In the first half of the Group B clash, Switzerland were awarded a penalty when Remo Freuler was clattered by Qatari goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada.
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Replays suggested that Freuler may have been offside from Breel Embolo’s header forward before he was fouled but a VAR review determined the original decision should stand.
Mahmoud Abunada fouled Remo Freuler but the Swiss star may have been offside during the build-up (Reuters)
However, the specific replays used and the lines drawn by the semi-automated offside system to determine that Freuler was indeed onside weren’t shown, leaving fans to take the decision on trust.
And while working as a pundit on the game for ITV, ex-England international Neville was fuming at Fifa’s lack of transparency around the decision-making process.
Speaking at half-time, Neville said: “Offside. We all think it here. Everybody will think it at home. Fifa are the host broadcaster, they’ve got the evidence of the semi-automatic decision that they can show us. Why are they not showing us?
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“They did this in the last tournament. Fans are already distrusting of Fifa and technology to start with. There is a massive question mark over that because that is offside in my eyes until they prove me different.”
Once ITV’s rules expert Christina Unkel confirmed that Fifa have the replays, with the offside lines drawn, but simply chose not to show them, Neville went a step further.
“It’s like a dicator. Honestly, it’s a dictatorship, this,” he fumed. “The idea that they hold this evidence internally and don’t show fans of countries that are playing in tournaments. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
“Honestly to not show the evidence of an offside… Prove to us it’s offside. Show it straight away. Why not the transparency?”
Switzerland scored the penalty but Qatar equalised late on (Reuters)
Gary Neville was left fuming at Fifa’s decision not to release the replays (Getty)
Unkel, host Mark Pougatch and fellow pundits Duncan Ferguson and Ian Wright all appeared to be in agreement with Neville’s bafflement at the replays not being released, with Wright particularly strident.
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“With the semi-automatic line, why haven’t we seen that?” he queried. “You know what, we actually don’t even need to see it, we see it in the Premier League every week, he looks offside, I just can’t understand it. They do what they want. They’re sitting in the office. It’s scandalous.”
Embolo converted the penalty and Switzerland went on to dominate the match but somehow failed to score a second goal, with Abunada making a number of fine saves.
And the Swiss were made to pay when, in injury-time at the end of the match, Qatar snatched an unlikely equaliser.
Qatari captain Boualem Khoukhi headed home Homam El Amin’s 94th-minute cross to spark wild celebrations among Julen Lopetegui’s squad, as the Asian side earned their first-ever point at a World Cup.
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