The Croatian Football Federation has officially lodged a complaint with FIFA, alleging an “abuse of technology” during Croatia's controversial 2-1 defeat to Portugal national football team in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32.
At the centre of the controversy was Croatia's dramatic late equaliser, which was initially awarded before being ruled out after a lengthy VAR review. FIFA's semi-automated offside technology and an in-ball sensor determined that striker Igor Matanović had made a slight touch on the ball, placing Mario Pašalić in an offside position before Joško Gvardiol scored.
Croatian officials have questioned the reliability and transparency of the technology, arguing that the decision had a decisive impact on the outcome of the match. In its complaint, the federation reportedly called for a detailed explanation of the process and expressed concerns that technology is increasingly overriding the human element of the game.
The controversial decision sparked anger among Croatian players and supporters, with head coach Zlatko Dalić describing the officiating as “very bad refereeing” after the match. Midfielder Petar Sučić also criticised the call, despite FIFA insisting that the sensor technology correctly detected the touch that led to the offside decision.
Portugal's victory sent them into the Round of 16 and kept alive the World Cup hopes of veteran captain Cristiano Ronaldo. However, Croatia's protest has intensified the growing debate surrounding VAR and advanced officiating technology at the 2026 World Cup, with several teams and football figures questioning whether technological interventions are becoming too influential in deciding matches.
FIFA has yet to issue a formal response to Croatia's complaint.
