FIFA faces fresh controversy over Switzerland penalty decision versus Qatar as Gary Neville questions 'dictatorship' and 'lack of transparency'

Breel Embolo's penalty was not enough as the Swiss were made to rue missed opportunities during Group B's match against Qatar.

Boualem Khoukhi's 94th-minute header rescued a first World Cup point for the 2022 tournament hosts in San Francisco but, prior to the late drama, supporters were left scratching their heads as replays appeared to show an offside in the build-up to Switzerland's first-half penalty.

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville launched a scathing critique of FIFA's use of VAR while working as an ITV pundit, likening the governing body's approach to a "dictatorship" following the controversial decision to uphold the original ruling without sharing definitive proof with viewers in the stands and those watching around the world.

Neville expressed frustration over what he perceived as a lack of transparency after an incident he believed involved a clear offside infringement that went unaddressed.

The controversy arose when Switzerland's Remo Freuler latched onto a headed ball inside the penalty area ahead of advancing Qatar goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada.

Freuler deftly lifted the ball over the keeper before being heavily challenged, prompting the Honduran referee Hector Martinez to immediately award a penalty.

However, doubts quickly emerged over whether Freuler had been in an offside position when the initial header was played.

While available replays failed to provide a definitive angle, many viewers, commentators and pundits were left convinced that VAR would intervene and overturn the decision.

ITV co-commentator Lee Dixon was convinced that VAR Guillermo Pacheco Larios would intervene to inform his compatriot that there had been an offside prior to the foul.

"This won't count," said Dixon. "He just wandered off. The referee can't see that so points to the spot."

After the penalty was awarded, the former Arsenal full-back added: "There must be something wrong with my monitor."

The review process offered little clarity, fuelling criticism from Neville and raising further questions about the consistency and transparency of VAR decision-making.

Neville told ITV: "We all think it sitting here, and everyone will at home, the goal is offside. FIFA are the host, they've got the evidence of the automated decision - why are they not showing us?

"They did this at the last tournament. Fans are already distrusting. There is a massive question mark of that [decision] because that is offside until they prove me different. It's like a dictatorship in the idea that they hold this evidence and don't show it for fans. It's ridiculous. Prove to us it's offside. Where's the transparency?"

The incident also left both players requiring treatment. Abunada appeared to come off worse after colliding head-first with the Swiss attacker, remaining on the turf for an extended period as medical staff attended to him.

Despite multiple replay angles showing the moment the ball was played through to the Swiss midfielder, broadcasters were never provided with the offside lines or semi-automated offside graphics that would typically help explain the officials' decision.

The absence of any visual evidence left fans, pundits and commentators in the dark, fuelling confusion and criticism over the lack of transparency surrounding the VAR review.

Hours after the game had concluded, FIFA released a statement on social media to explain the incident, saying a "brief technical outage" resulted in replays of the incident not being available.

"During the Qatar vs. Switzerland match in the San Francisco Bay Area, a brief technical outage prevented the onside animation graphic from being generated ahead of the penalty awarded to Switzerland in the 14th minute," the FIFA statement said. "The issue was quickly resolved.

"The workflow of the VAR was not affected by this issue and followed the normal procedure in checking the on-field decision. The lines used by the VAR to check the position of the relevant players did not show the attacking player to be in an offside position in either of the two situations immediately before the penalty decision."

Embolo made no mistake from the spot to give the Swiss the lead after 17 minutes, with goalkeeper Abunada booked for his challenge.

Speaking on ITV, former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright echoed Neville's frustrations, delivering an equally damning assessment of FIFA's approach.

”They do what they want. We're seeing it now. It's scandalous,” Wright said.

However, FIFA's protocol dictates that semi-automated offside graphics are only shown when a VAR review results in a decision being overturned, explaining why viewers were never shown the lines in this instance.

That directive is likely to come under renewed scrutiny following such a marginal and heavily debated call. Critics argue that when a decision hinges on a matter as fine as offside, transparency should take precedence over procedure.

While criticism of FIFA's lack of transparency continued to mount, ITV's resident referee analyst Christina Unkel offered a robust defence of the decision, insisting the tournament's enhanced semi-automated offside technology would have correctly identified Freuler as being onside.

Unkel, a FIFA-licensed referee, acknowledged that the incident appeared offside to many watching in real time but stressed that the technology used at the World Cup is capable of making far more precise judgements than the human eye.

"There is not a tolerance built into the system necessarily. However, the technology that's been implemented in this World Cup is at a higher level so it's going to be even sharper and crisper," she explained.

"You are not too far off, it did look like it was offside from our scenario here too.

"But the technology is so advanced, it's going to be able to tell very accurately to the centimetre. So this is a very tight offside but the technology checked on both, there were two potential offside interactions."

A case that generated so much confusion would ultimately not deny Qatar a point, however, as Khoukhi rose at the far post in the 94th minute to snatch a draw.

Add TNT Sports as a preferred source here to enjoy more content like this.

Stream the Premier League, men’s and women’s FA Cups, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more live on TNT Sports and HBO Max