Morocco’s U-20 head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, became the first manager to use FIFA’s newly introduced “challenge card” during their World Cup semi-final clash against France.
It marks a groundbreaking moment in football’s use of technology.
The innovative rule allows coaches to formally request a VAR review when they believe a referee has made a major error.
Ouahbi invoked the system after a suspected foul in the penalty box, giving the world a first real-time demonstration of the review process in action.
The match eventually ended with Morocco triumphing over France on penalties, but the bigger talking point was FIFA’s latest experiment in improving officiating fairness.
Though still in its trial stage, the challenge card has already sparked debate about whether it should become a permanent feature in top-level competitions in the coming years.
