New Delhi, June 16 (IANS) Former English footballer and commentator Paul Masefield believes that, despite minor issues, VAR has played a positive role at the FIFA World Cup 2026, but stressed that technology should remain a support tool, with referees retaining the authority to make the final decision on the field.

While acknowledging the benefits VAR brings to the game, Masefield, who is a part of the expert panel for ZEE5’s FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage, emphasised that referees must continue to play the central role in decision-making.

“So I think technology is helping to an extent, but I still think there should be the physical element with the referee who does have to make that final decision on whether he wants to overturn his decision or whether or not he wants to stick with his own decision,” Masefield told IANS.

Masefield also called on referees to show greater conviction when assessing incidents, rather than feeling compelled to change decisions because of technological intervention. “And I personally like to see referees be a little bit stronger themselves and stick to their decisions,” he added.

The opening week of the FIFA World Cup 2026 has been heavily shaped by high-profile VAR controversies that put FIFA’s expanded technology under intense scrutiny. During the Qatar-Switzerland opener, a “technical outage” prevented the semi-automated offside system from broadcasting its 3D graphics, leaving fans and pundits furious over a lack of transparency regarding Switzerland’s early penalty.

Off the pitch, Australian VAR official Shaun Evans triggered a major disciplinary investigation after flashing a controversial hand gesture on the live global broadcast feed from the Dallas VAR hub, though he was later cleared of any ethics code violations.

Despite the controversies, Masefield believes that the tournament has avoided the VAR delays, which happen in other competitions, and the technology is encouraging players to be more cautious in situations that could lead to reviews.

“I don’t think we have really had one big major VAR decision throughout this World Cup so far. The little ones, yes and no. But there hasn’t been a mega, mega hold-up for two or three minutes, which we see in the Premier League every week, where decisions need to be sorted out,” he said.

“I think the VAR there is more of a deterrent for people. I think we are seeing behaviours from players to not get VAR to intervene,” he added.

–IANS

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