World Cup VAR review: Was ref right to show three red cards in Mexico opener?

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          • Andy Davies
          Jun 11, 2026, 06:27 PM ET

          The video assistant referee causes controversy every week, whether it be the Premier League, Champions League or FA Cup, but now we have a 104-game FIFA men's World Cup to cover, so how are the decisions made this summer and are they correct?

          For the tournament, we are taking a look at the major incidents to examine and explain the process in terms of both VAR protocol and the laws of the game.

          Andy Davies (@andydaviesref) is a former Select Group referee, with over 12 seasons on the elite list, working across the Premier League and Championship. With extensive experience at the elite level, he has operated within the VAR space in the Premier League and offers a unique insight into the processes, rationale and protocols that are delivered on a World Cup matchday.

          Mexico vs. South Africa

          Referee: Wilton Pereira Sampaio
          VAR: Nicolás Gallo Barragán

          Time: 49 minutes
          Incident: Red card to South Africa's Sphephelo Sithole for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO).

          What happened: South Africa were 1-0 down as the second half kicked off, and they were soon down to 10 players when Sithole was shown a red card for bringing down Mexico midfielder Brian Gutiérrez, who was through on goal. The VAR checked the decision and judged it to be correct.

          Verdict: Sithole will go down in history as the first player to be shown a red card at this World Cup, and this was a relatively easy decision.

          Mexico's Gutiérrez cut across the South Africa defender and was tripped in the process, causing him to go down. Gutiérrez had a clear opportunity to score with his next action, so the resulting red card was the correct decision.

          Time: 84 minutes
          Incident: Red card to South Africa's Themba Zwane for violent conduct for striking an opponent.

          What happened: Zwane attempted to move past Mexico's Roberto Alvarado, but his hand caught Alvarado's face in the process. The referee did not initially issue a red card, but did so after a VAR review.

          Verdict: I felt this was a harsh decision considering the red card was given for "violent conduct/an act of brutality," and I do not believe this was either.

          When you strike an opponent and there is contact to the face, there is a danger that it could be judged as violent conduct, and you run the risk of receiving a red card. Given the amount of time the referee spent at the screen watching replays, though, I do not believe he was completely convinced this was a violent act.

          But once at the screen, it would have been a very brave decision not to take the action he did, given the information fed to him by the VAR.

          Time: 90+2 minutes
          Incident: Red card for Mexico defender César Montes for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO).

          What happened: South Africa broke in numbers and had four players on three as Khuliso Mudau raced toward the box. Montes got across and clipped him just outside the box, and the referee was quick to show a red card. The VAR reviewed the decision and judged it to be correct.

          Verdict: I was surprised by the on-field decision of a red card as I did not feel this was an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

          For this to completely meet the threshold of DOGSO, the referee has be sure that the attacker's next touch is going to be a shot on goal or his direction of play is directly in on goal. In my opinion, this situation did not completely meet the criteria required for a red card. The attacker's next action was more likely to be a cross to his teammate as opposed to a shot on goal, making this a possible goal-scoring opportunity and not an obvious one.

          But I would not expect the VAR to interfere with this decision as it would not be judged as a "clear and obvious" error given the level of subjectivity around the attacker's next action, whether it be a shot or cross.