VAR has made the World Cup more fair ... but has it made it better? - AOL

VAR has made the World Cup more fair, but the tournament’s latest controversy shows the system’s limits. In a World Cup quarterfinal on Saturday, Norway’s Torbjorn Heggem scored in the sixth-yard box to put his team ahead 2-1 versus England. French referee Clément Turpin then went to a pitchside TV monitor after replay officials reviewed the buildup. Replays indicated Norway’s Erling Haaland shoved England midfielder Elliot Anderson in the chest, keeping him from contesting position on the corner kick that led to the goal, leading Turpin to disallow it. Norway’s complaint was intensified by a second VAR incident in which they unsuccessfully argued the technology should have been used to rule out Jude Bellingham’s equalizer late in the first half after a ball appeared to hit an overhead camera cable. Sofascore said VAR had already generated more than 100 checks by the end of the round of 16, overturning roughly 0.5 calls per match. Norway’s Martin Odegaard said the team did not receive much help.