VAR has stolen the show at World Cup for good and for bad

VAR was never supposed to steal the show.It was supposed to improve the game.Instead, with just four matches remaining in the World Cup, the video assistant referee has become the tournament’s most polarizing figure, its loudest talking point and, depending on which country you ask, its greatest villain.The best stories of this World Cup were supposed to be about Messi’s quest to repeat, Spain’s artistry, France’s dominance or England trying to end a 60-year drought.But too often the narrative has been about a referee staring into a monitor before pressing his finger against an earpiece to deliver a verdict from a room filled with television screens hundreds of miles away.The technology was created to eliminate clear and obvious mistakes.

Instead, it has created endless arguments over microscopic ones.In many ways, VAR has done exactly what it was designed to do.New technology has correctly overturned goals that should never have counted.Using dozens of tracking cameras and connected-ball technology, FIFA has identified offsides by inches, toes, and fingertips with remarkable accuracy.

By the letter of the law, those decisions have been correct.They have also produced some of the tournament’s most heartbreaking moments.Iran thought it had scored a stoppage-time winner to reach the knockout stage before a toe ruled Shoja Khalilzadeh offside.

Croatia believed it had rescued its World Cup against Portugal until VAR detected a ball grazed the hair of Igor Matanovic.A celebration that should have lived forever instead disappeared after a two-minute review.VAR has corrected major mistakes, reduced accusations of referee bias and increased accountability in matches carrying the weight of entire nations.

Few would argue against overturning an obvious offside goal or correcting an intentional dive.But soccer has always lived in its imperfections.Human error has long been part of its drama and greatest moments.

Remember Maradona’s “Hand of God” or Frank L...