Football: VAR Errors
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
It has been reported that there have been 18 VAR errors logged to date during the present season, which equals the total that have been logged for the entire 2024-25 season.
The latest one involved the match between Brighton and Hove Albion FC and Arsenal FC on 4 March 2026, in which Brighton should have been awarded a penalty in their 1-0 loss at home.
The matter was reviewed by the Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel, who voted 4:1 that a spot-kick should have been awarded on the field, and 3:2 that it was a missed VAR intervention.
This is the third time during this season that Arsenal have wrongly escaped a VAR penalty in a game which they have won by one goal!
However, Arsenal have not had any VAR errors, which have been made against them, to date.
The VAR rules provide that the final decision is always that of the on-field referee, and once a match has restarted, the decision cannot be changed, even if a subsequent KMI review finds that the VAR decision was wrong.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
