📸 VAR disallows goal by millimetres, stirs controversy in Europe

It's no longer just a matter of millimeters.

Since the introduction of VAR and semi-automatic offside in Europe—a system that will be implemented in Brazil starting in 2026—many goals have been disallowed by just a few centimeters, sometimes resulting in completely absurd images.

But this time, in Belgium, we may have reached the peak during the Jupiler Pro League match, in the 0-0 draw between Westerlo and La Gantoise.

Fully involved in the fight against relegation, Westerlo thought they had landed the perfect blow against the sixth-placed team in the Belgian league by scoring around the hour mark.

However, VAR intervened and disallowed Isa Sakamoto's goal for an offside at the start of the play.

Having trouble spotting the offside?

That's normal—it was just a tiny bit of the yellow-shirted player's shoulder that caused the goal to be ruled out!

Obviously, the image sparked huge controversy in Belgium, especially on the Westerlo side, who lost two precious points in the fight to stay up after the goal was disallowed.

“We paid millions for VAR technology and the system lets us down,” declared the club’s vice president, before the coach turned up the heat even more.

“It’s a disgrace and a blow to Belgian football [...] In case of doubt, the rule says the goal should be validated. I saw four or five images. If there’s so much hesitation, there’s no reason to disallow the goal,” criticized Issame Charai.

Without a doubt, VAR will continue to be a hot topic throughout Europe.

Technology arrives in Brazil in 2026

CBF has confirmed the implementation of semi-automatic offside starting from the first round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship, which will begin on January 28, 2026.

The technology, already used in competitions such as the World Cup and the Champions League, uses a system with multiple cameras around the stadium and a sensor in the ball to determine offside situations more precisely and quickly, with an expected 98% accuracy.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 Naomi Baker - 2025 Getty Images