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The Worst Ever VAR Call? Former Manchester United Ace Is Left In Tears

The Worst Ever VAR Call? Former Manchester United Ace Is Left In Tears

The decision was made during a 2020 MLS tie between Orlando and Columbus Crew.

Tom Fenton

Tom Fenton

When Former Manchester United winger Nani was left in tears after a VAR decision sent the player off, it was regarded as one of the worst decisions we'd seen.

VAR has massively split opinion since being introduced into the beautiful game, and for all of its positives, incidents such as Nani's dismissal left many fans bemoaning its impact.

The Portuguese star was playing for Orlando FC against MLS rivals Columbus Crew at the time of the highly controversial call - one that has since been cited as an example of VAR overreach.

The November 2020 clash saw Nani appear to win the ball fairly clearly from Columbus midfielder Artur.

Referee Ramy Toucan didn't see it that way, and promptly awarded Nani, who played for Man United between 2007 and 2015, a yellow card.

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PA

The controversy really began once VAR intervened, as the referee was advised to look at the incident once again on the pitch-side monitor.

He did just that, and stunningly upgraded the 34-year-old's yellow card to a red.

His Orlando teammates were incensed by the decision, with the player himself sobbing while walking off the pitch.

You can watch the incident for yourself below.

In the embryonic days of VAR, it was interventions like this that led to many calls from fans and the media alike to scrap VAR altogether.

Thankfully for all parties involved, the Nani dismissal was something of a watershed moment, as we haven't seen many repeat injustices of that nature since.

Quite the contrary has occurred, especially this season, with UEFA and Premier League referees taking a far more common-sense approach to officiating games.

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PA

Quite rightly, Nani's dismissal was overturned by the MLS soon after, even if the match result couldn't be.

The four-time Premier League winner remains with Orlando to this very day, where he has grown into something of a cult hero.


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Topics: Manchester United, MLS, Nani