Egyptian media personality Ahmed Shobier sparked widespread controversy with his comment on the dramatic refereeing incident that marked the Argentina vs. Switzerland clash in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinal, after he strongly criticized the decision of Portuguese referee João Pinheiro, which led to the sending off of Swiss striker Breel Embolo following a VAR review.

Shobier wrote on his account on the "X" platform: "Switzerland dared and drew with Argentina, and they were playing a great match and steadily moving towards victory, before the referee and VAR intervened to cancel the yellow card he had shown to the Argentine player, then give it to Embolo as a second yellow, so Switzerland completed the match with ten players. Have you ever seen such a refereeing atrocity? You made us hate Messi and football."

ياعينى سويسرا اتجرأت واتعادلت مع الارجنتين وكانت لسه متعادله وركبت المباراه وف طريقها للفوز يقوم الحكم والڤار يلغوا كارت اصفر للاعب الارجنتين وبقدرة قادر يتغير لانذار تانى لمبولو لاعب سويسرا وحيكملوا المباراه ب 10 لاعبين عمركم شفتوا ڤُجر تحكيمى كده!!؟؟؟كرهتونا في ميسى والكوره

— Ahmed Shobier (@ShobierOfficial) July 12, 2026

The statements of the father of Pharaohs' goalkeeper Mustafa Shobier came after the controversial incident that occurred in the 69th minute of the match, when the referee showed a yellow card to Argentine Leandro Paredes for committing a foul against Embolo, before the VAR room intervened on the grounds of a mistake in identifying the punished player.

After reviewing the footage on the pitchside monitor, the referee canceled the yellow card issued to Paredes and decided to give a yellow card to Embolo for simulation, making it the second yellow card for the Swiss striker after he had received a first yellow in the first half, so he left the field sent off in the 72nd minute while the score was 1-1.

The decision sparked a wave of controversy, as many believed that VAR does not usually intervene in second yellow card situations, but the VAR room relied on the "mistaken identity" clause, one of the four situations where the law allows VAR intervention to correct the referee's decision.

Although the decision technically complies with the law's texts, its timing and direct impact on the course of the match sparked wide debates, especially since Switzerland was forced to complete the match with ten players, before Argentina managed to clinch the match 3-1 after extra time, advancing to the 2026 World Cup semifinals.

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