Paris, July 25 (IANS) About 98,000 hectares of land have been burned by wildfires across France so far in 2026, setting a historical record for the country, French authorities said Saturday.Speaking at a press briefing, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that several blazes remain uncontained across the national territory, notably in the departments of Gironde, Landes, and Var, Xinhua News Agency reported.The ongoing emergency has led to large-scale evacuations in southwestern France. A…
Latest VAR News & Updates
New Delhi, July 14 (IANS) Dutch football referee Rob Dieperink has died weeks after he was removed from officiating at the World Cup following a police case in Britain that was later dropped. Dieperink was selected to be a VAR official at the FIFA World Cup 2026 but was removed from FIFA’s list of World Cup officials in May. His cause of death has not been disclosed. The Netherlands’ football association said they were “shocked and deeply saddened” by Dieperink’s death.”We are shocked …
Kansas City, July 12 (IANS) Switzerland coach Murat Yakin labelled Breel Embolo sending off as “unacceptable”, saying he doesn’t understand “how the referee and the VAR came to that conclusion” after the Swiss fairytale run at the FIFA World Cup 2026 ended with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Argentina on Sunday. Embolo became the first player to be sent off as a result of a new law for mistaken identity at this summer’s World Cup. The caution was initially handed to Argentina’s Leandro Paredes for …
Tlanta, July 8 (IANS) Egypt’s World Cup campaign ended in frustration, with head coach Hossam Hassan questioning the fairness of the tournament after his side suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat to defending champion Argentina in Atlanta. Egypt appeared close to a historic upset after taking a 2-0 lead, but Argentina produced a late comeback, with Lionel Messi playing a decisive role by scoring one goal and setting up another before Enzo Fernandez completed the turnaround in stoppage time.However, th…
Philadelphia, July 5 (IANS) Kylian Mbappé scored his seventh goal of the 2026 edition, slotting home from the penalty spot as two-time winner France overcame Paraguay 1-0 to set up a quarterfinal meeting with Morocco at the FIFA World Cup, remaining on course for another title.Mbappé scored the only goal of the Round of 16 match in the second half from a penalty to settle an attritional contest at the Philadelphia Stadium, moving level with Lionel Messi on goals but leading on assists in the r…
New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia has backed the continued use of VAR in football but suggested that offside decisions should be judged primarily by the position of a player’s feet rather than other body parts.Bhutia’s remarks come after one of the most debated incidents of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32, when Croatia’s dramatic late equaliser against Portugal was disallowed following a VAR review.Croatia believed they had levelled the match in the 103rd m…
Toronto, July 3 (IANS) After Croatia thought they had equalised against Portugal in a Round of 32 clash, but VAR intervened and ruled it out for offside, FIFA clarified that an IMU sensor inside the official match ball detected a faint touch from Croatian forward Igor Matanovic. Ivan Perisic had given Croatia the lead shortly after the break, but Cristiano Ronaldo’s third goal of these finals drew Portugal level. Goncalo Ramos then rose highest to send a Rafael Leao cross home in the fourth minu…
Toronto, July 3 (IANS) Goncalo Ramos scored a late winner as Portugal came from behind to beat Croatia 2-1 in a match decided only in stoppage time here at Toronto Stadium on Friday.After Ivan Perisic gave Croatia the lead shortly after the break, Portugal responded with a penalty converted by Cristiano Ronaldo and Goncalo Ramos then rose highest to send a Rafael Leao cross home in the fourth minute of stoppage time to secure the win.Ronaldo’s goal was first in the knockout stages of the FIFA Wo…
Seattle, June 27 (IANS) Iran were left anxiously waiting to discover whether they had done enough to reach the FIFA World Cup knockout stage after a dramatic 1-1 draw with Egypt, in which a stoppage-time winner was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.Already guaranteed qualification, Egypt finished second in Group G on five points behind Belgium on goal difference and will face Australia in the Round of 32 in Dallas on July 3.Iran ended third with three points and will now wait to see i…
California, June 20 (IANS) Matias Galarza’s record-breaking early strike and a resilient defensive display helped 10-man Paraguay secure a dramatic 1-0 victory over Turkey on Saturday, keeping their FIFA World Cup 2026 hopes alive while eliminating the Turks from the tournament. Paraguay, who lost 4-1 to the United States in their first Group D match, got off to a great start when Galarza scored just 64 seconds into the game. The midfielder hit a powerful low shot from 25 meters that beat the go…