Argentina's 2022 World Cup VAR Controversies
Argentina won Qatar 2022 — and four years later the internet is still arguing about how. The tribunal reopened the era's most debated decisions as retro trials: eight exhibits, from the soft penalty that started it all to the final France wanted replayed. The verdicts are live.
Quick facts
- Tournament
- FIFA World Cup 2022 (Qatar) — Argentina champions
- Files
- 8 retro exhibits plus the 2021 qualifier elbow
- Heaviest verdict
- The Paredes ball into the bench (quarterfinal)
- Most searched
- Messi's handball without a second yellow
- Format
- Fan votes: Fair, Soft VARgentina or Full VARgentina
The era on trial
Argentina's road to the 2022 title ran through a group-stage defeat to Saudi Arabia that began with a soft penalty, a glove-graze penalty against Poland that Szczęsny saved, a quarterfinal against the Netherlands that produced three separate exhibits, a semifinal collision penalty against Croatia, and a final France's fans petitioned — 195,000 signatures strong — to replay.
None of these files claims wrongdoing. They document the debates: the contact that was 'given once a season', the handball that drew no second yellow, the review thresholds that moved from match to match. Fans retry each decision and the votes become verdicts on the VARgentina Meter.
How the retro trials work
Each incident is an exhibit with the footage context, the referee's actual call, and the fan ballot. The 2022 files are judged by today's jury — which makes them a running experiment in how these decisions age. Several are also playable: VAR Replay lets you take the wronged side from the moment of the call and try to out-score history.
Cast your ruling
- Exhibit A6.3/10 · Strong VARgentina
The Elbow VAR Missed
Cast your ruling: Fair, Soft VARgentina or Full VARgentina. · early verdict
- Exhibit B4.1/10 · Mild Suspicion
The First Soft Door Opened
Vote on the Saudi soft penalty · early verdict
- Exhibit C6.9/10 · Strong VARgentina
The Glove-Graze Penalty
Vote on the glove-graze penalty · early verdict
- Exhibit D6.1/10 · Strong VARgentina
The Dumfries Contact
Vote on the Dumfries contact · early verdict
- Exhibit E9.0/10 · Full VARgentina
The Ball Into the Bench
Vote on the ball into the bench · early verdict
- Exhibit F7.1/10 · Strong VARgentina
The Handball Without the Second Story
Vote on the Messi handball · early verdict
- Exhibit G4.5/10 · Mild Suspicion
The Keeper Collision Penalty
Vote on the keeper collision · early verdict
- Exhibit H6.3/10 · Strong VARgentina
The Final France Wanted Replayed
Vote on the final France petitioned · early verdict
Play this controversy
This match is playable. Replay the Elbow VAR Missed — a free browser football game puts you in control as Brazil from the 35th minute, against a referee whose bias level was set by the jury’s verdict on this very incident.
▶ VAR ReplayThink you could beat this referee?Replay the match from the disallowed goal — and finish the job.Frequently asked
Which 2022 World Cup decisions favoured Argentina?
That is exactly what the jury votes on. The most-debated files: the 10th-minute soft penalty against Saudi Arabia, the glove-graze penalty against Poland, the Dumfries contact and Messi's uncarded handball against the Netherlands, the Livaković collision penalty against Croatia, and the opening penalty of the final against France. Fan verdicts range from Fair to Full VARgentina — none of it is a claim of proven wrongdoing.
Why did France want the 2022 final replayed?
After Argentina won on penalties, French fans signed a petition roughly 195,000 strong demanding a replay, citing the early penalty award and arguing Messi's extra-time goal should have been disallowed for substitutes entering the pitch. Referee Marciniak answered with a photo showing France's bench doing the same.
Was Messi's handball against the Netherlands a second yellow?
Messi handled the ball while already booked in the 2022 quarterfinal, and no second yellow followed. Analysts split on whether it met the deliberate-handball threshold; the tribunal's jury gives it one of the archive's heaviest verdicts. Vote on the exhibit to add yours.
Can I replay these 2022 moments?
Yes — six 2022-era scenarios are playable in VAR Replay, the free browser game: Saudi Arabia's comeback, Poland's glove-graze night, the Dutch comeback, Croatia's semifinal, the final as France, and the 2021 qualifier elbow. The referee's bias level in each comes from the jury's verdict on the real incident.
More Argentina VAR controversies
VARgentina is a satirical, fan-voted archive of controversial football decisions. It does not claim proven corruption, match-fixing or official wrongdoing. Each exhibit reflects public debate, available footage and fan voting.