This archive report was first published on 17 July 2021.
July 17, 2021, marked the end of the European Championship, where the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) sparked controversy among football fans worldwide. However, a report by William Hill revealed that the role of VAR in the tournament was far less contentious than during the 2020-21 English Premier League season.
The bookmaker analyzed 18 decisions overturned by VAR during the Euros, generating a controversy rating for each incident. The analysis included metrics such as tweet volume, text sentiment analysis, and articles generated on the incidents.
The pan-European tournament produced an average controversy rating of 4.40, making it 14.39 per cent less controversial than the Premier League. The report highlighted five overturned decisions that led to goals, six that led to the awarding of penalties, and three goals that were allowed while six were disallowed for offside.
One goal was ruled out for handball, and two red cards were issued as a result of the use of VAR. Mario Gavranovic's potential winner in a 1-1 group-stage draw with Wales was rated as the most controversial call of the tournament, with Swiss forward correctly adjudged to have been marginally offside.
Despite the controversy surrounding some decisions, all major calls in the tournament were proven to be technically correct. The VAR team based at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon for the Euros were efficient with their decision-making process and avoided lengthy interruptions during the four-week tournament.
