Croatia’s troubled exit from the FIFA World Cup continues to cast a long shadow after the Croatian Football Federation said it had yet to receive a response from FIFA following the government’s request to release VAR contact behind the controversial decision. A week after Croatia’s Round of 32 defeat in Portugal, technical director Stipe Pletikosa says that the president of the federation Marijan Kustić asked FIFA to get VAR audios related to Joško Gvardiol who did not allow the comparison in extra time, but insists that the governing body remained silent. The latest developments add another chapter to the growing scrutiny surrounding refereeing standards and the introduction of VAR technology at the 2026 World Cup.
Croatia said FIFA remained silent after their official request
Croatia’s World Cup campaign ended in shock against Portugal after Gonçalo Ramos scored a stoppage-time goal to give the Portuguese a 2-1 lead in the Round of 32. Zlatko Dalić’s side believed they had forced extra time when Joško Gvardiol equalized in the 103rd minute. Instead, the celebrations were cut short following a late VAR review. The officials ruled that striker Igor Matanović took a slight touch on the cross before it reached Mario Pašalić. Because the touch changed the attacking zone, Pašalić was ruled offside, which led to Gvardiol not allowing the equaliser. The decision relied on FIFA’s Connected Ball Technology, with sensors inside the Adidas Trionda ball to detect what Matanović later described as “a little contact with my hair.” Croatia accepted FIFA’s technical explanation but questioned the use of technology and whether the correct VAR protocol was followed in the review. Talking with Price RTLTechnical director of the Croatian Football Federation Stipe Pletikosa revealed that the president of the federation Marijan Kustić contacted FIFA immediately after the match. “We became official and the day after what happened in the match with Portugal, President Kustić sent a bitter letter to FIFA, asking for an understanding of the VAR connection regarding the bad chip. We have not received an answer until today,” Pletikosa said.
FIFA defended the decision, but Croatia wants VAR talks
Following the controversy, FIFA publicly defended the decision to disallow Croatia’s goal. In an official statement, football’s governing body said Connected Ball Technology detected contact with Matanović before the ball reached Pašalić. “According to the information provided by the Connected Ball Technology inside the Adidas ball Trionda, the official ball of the FIFA World Cup, it was confirmed that the connection was made by Igor Matanović of Croatia in the preparation of the goal against Portugal, allowing the referee to accurately determine that he is on his side and reject the goal,” FIFA explained. The organization added that the inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors inside the match ball can detect even the slightest touch, with data displayed to broadcasters through the familiar “heartbeat” images used throughout the game. Although FIFA has previously explained the technicalities behind the decision, Croatia’s latest complaint is open, and the organization wants the opportunity to discuss between the field officials and the VAR team during the review.
Pletikosa questions FIFA’s handling of the tournament
Pletikosa stressed that the players will make mistakes but said that FIFA has failed to protect the game during the World Cup. “We have lost the courage to feel humiliated when we play against big teams and I hope that we will no longer be in a situation where our selection is only decided by things other than us,” he said. he said. He then expanded his opposition beyond the exclusion of Croatia. “FIFA has stopped protecting football for the first time. It has had good times and dark times, but it always protects the game. I am not talking about the players, they always make mistakes, it is a good and important part of the game. “But the hydration break, the chips, the 18 minutes of the half of the Croatia-England game… they have gone so far that the game is no longer safe. I am surprised that the people who work there, who should recognize the situation and protect the game, do not do anything.” Croatia is not the only country that has publicly opposed its participation in the tournament. Following the huge 3-2 Round of 16 loss to Argentina, the Egyptian Football Association filed a complaint after questioning several VAR decisions, accusing the officials of “obvious mistakes” and calling for the referee and the entire team to be dismissed. In response to the growing criticism, FIFA chief Pierluigi Collina defended the tournament’s officials, saying that discussions about the decisions are part of football while insisting that allegations of player integrity have no place in the game. The controversy comes at a time of change in Croatian football. Following the country’s exit from the World Cup, Zlatko Dalić ended his tenure after leading Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final and a third-place finish in 2022. Former manager Slaven Bilić is back for a second term, having managed the national team from 2006 to 2012.