• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
History made as referee explains VAR decision to fans in stadium for first time

Home> Football

Updated 10:21 3 Feb 2023 GMTPublished 10:06 3 Feb 2023 GMT

History made as referee explains VAR decision to fans in stadium for first time

Referee Ma Ning made history by explaining the decision in a FIFA Club World Cup fixture.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

History was made on Wednesday as the referee explained a VAR decision to the fans in attendance for the first time.

Al Ahly took on Auckland City in the first round of the FIFA Club World Cup at the Grand Stade de Tanger in Morocco.

Egyptian side Ah Ahly won 3-0 courtesy of goals from Hussein El Shahat, Mohamed Sherif and Percy Tau to progress to the second round of the competition.

Advert

Auckland, champions of Oceania, had a man sent off in the 97th minute when Adam Mitchell was shown a red card.

Taher Mohamed latched on to a ball in behind and Mitchell made a desperate attempt to tackle him. He mistimed it horribly and took the forward out after he beat him to the ball.

The incident was near the 18-yard box and Chinese referee Ma Ning awarded a penalty at first. But he then went over to the VAR monitor to the incident and it was at this point where the commentator confirmed history was about to be made.

He said: "And after Ma Ning has examined the footage and consulted with his colleagues he will, for the very first time in a FIFA tournament, announce the decision to the crowd and to you at home. This is a first in world football…”

Advert

Nang was mic'd up and he then told 47,000 fans over the PA system that the offence was actually outside the area but was deemed to have denied a goalscoring opportunity.

That meant he ran over to Mitchell and brandished the straight red card.

He explained: "Decision will be a free kick. Auckland No.3 – denial of a goalscoring opportunity.”

This had never been seen before in football and fans will be hoping it is a sign of things to come after plenty of clamour.

Advert

Often when it comes to VAR calls, those in the stadium are not aware of what is going on - with the contents of the big screen not quite providing the full information.

The transparency will continue to be trialled at both the Under-20 and Women’s World Cup tournaments.

Featured Image Credit: FIFA

Topics: FIFA Club World Cup

Josh Lawless
Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and WWE. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has covered two WrestleMania events for SPORTbible.

X

@joshlawless_

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Cristiano Ronaldo Set To Return to US for First Time in 10 Years
  • FIFA Could Ban Second Country From Internationals After Russia World Cup Decision
  • Club World Cup referee shows never-before-seen 'Prayer card' during match as real reason explained
  • FIFA has banned 17 countries for breaking official regulations as major 2026 World Cup decision made

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
11 hours ago
  • GettyGetty
    an hour ago

    Sir Alex Ferguson Wanted Two Man City Legends at Man Utd but Missed Out

    Sir Alex Ferguson revealed his admiration for one of the Man City icons, who caused him plenty of pain.

    Football
  • GettyGetty
    2 hours ago

    Viktor Gyokeres One Step From Premier League Feat Achieved by Only Two Players

    It's not been done in the Premier League since 2011

    Football
  • GettyGetty
    11 hours ago

    What Happened to Sir Alex Ferguson’s Only Man City Signing From 2012

    Sir Alex Ferguson only ever signed one star from rivals Manchester City and the deal happened on deadline day.

    Football
  • GettyGetty
    11 hours ago

    Phil Foden Tipped for Man City Exit As Nightmare Scenario Named

    Manchester City and England star Phil Foden has found himself in a difficult career moment, struggling for form and fitness.

    Football