World Cup VAR review: Did Belgium deserve penalty against Morocco?

Belgium’s World Cup campaign hit a controversial wall when VAR denied them a clear penalty against Morocco in a 2-0 defeat on December 2, 2022. The incident occurred in the 90th minute when Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi appeared to handle the ball inside his own penalty area after a cross from Belgium’s Jeremy Doku. Multiple replays suggested a clear handball, yet the on-field referee and VAR did not award the spot kick.

The decision sparked global debate over VAR’s interpretation of handball laws and the protocol governing penalty reviews. The Laws of the Game define a handball as deliberate contact with the ball by a player’s hand or arm. VAR’s role is to identify clear and obvious errors, not to re-referee the entire incident.