The communication between the VAR and the referees of the match between Brazil and Argentina had problems before the start of the game. According to Globo Esporte, the radio frequency used by the security of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro caused a temporary blockage in the system.
"The blocking of the security signals from President Jair Bolsonaro has generated interference and communication failures in the VAR; the interruption of the signal frequency is commonly used in the security of authorities, such as heads of state or visits from the Pope, for example," reported the Brazilian media.
The Local Organizing Committee (COL) confirmed that the radio frequency suffered a signal interference, as reported by the sports portal. The COL did not provide the reason for the system interruption, but assured that the problem was resolved before the start of the match between Brazil and Argentina.
On the other hand, Conmebol did not register any abnormalities in the VAR. The media tried to contact the referee in charge of the VAR in the semifinal match, the Uruguayan Leodán González, but he never responded. However, Roddy Zambrano only said, "I hope you understand, we can't give interviews."
The controversy is centered around two fouls in the Brazilian area against Nicolás Otamendi and Sergio Agüero. Lionel Messi, captain of the Argentine National Team, criticized the use of VAR, as the foul on the 'Kun' resulted in a Brazilian counterattack that led to the second goal of the match.