If you watch how people react to new technology, you quickly realize that the most difficult component isn't the silicon, the software, or the network infrastructure. It's the human using it. We've seen this phenomenon play out on the global stage with the video assistant referee (VAR) disaster at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
What should have been a triumph of high-speed cameras, spatial computing, and precise engineering devolved into a credibility-destroying spectacle for FIFA. But if you look closely as an IT professional, a CIO, or a tech analyst, the failure of VAR isn’t a hardware or software problem.
The offside detection technology is doing exactly what it was designed to do: measuring offsides down to the millimeter and tracking the ball with mathematical precision. The failure lies entirely in human deployment, mission creep, and the catastrophic mismanagement of human perception.
This is the exact same dynamic that destroys enterprise artificial intelligence deployments. When a multimillion-dollar AI rollout fails, executives are quick to blame the algorithm. But nine times out of 10, the underlying technology performed as intended; people just screwed up the implementation and failed to manage user perceptions.
Let's look at what FIFA did wrong, why the tech industry keeps repeating the same mistakes, and what enterprise leaders can learn from them. We'll close with my Product of the Week, something that could make you or your kid into a far better soccer player.
To understand the core issue, we have to look at what VAR was originally sold as. It was marketed to players, managers, and fans as a safety net for "clear and obvious errors." It was supposed to stop the blatant injustices — the goal scored by a hand, or the two-meter offside trap that the linesman somehow missed.
Semi-automated offside technology delivers precise decisions, but trust depends on how officials use it. (AI-generated image)
Instead, what we saw in 2026 was technological mission creep on a staggering scale. Referees used the system to reverse goals because a striker’s toe was three millimeters offside during a buildup phase 30 seconds before the ball went into the net. This mission creep turned one of FIFA's biggest technological advances into one of the tournament's biggest controversies.
The underlying offside technology wasn't wrong. The player’s toe was, mathematically and physically, in an offside position. The cameras captured it precisely. Sports are fundamentally about flow, emotion, and entertainment. By allowing referees to pause the game for five minutes to investigate microscopic infractions, FIFA turned human error in deployment from a helpful tool into an oppressive, game-ruining microscope. This is a management failure, not a technical one.
One of the most dangerous consequences of poorly deployed technology is the emergence of perceived bias. In the World Cup, fans and players were in an uproar, accusing VAR of being rigged to favor larger, wealthier nations. They pointed to the fact that their team had a goal disallowed for a microscopic infraction, while the opposing team seemed to get away with a rough tackle moments later.
The reality is that the VAR system does not care about the jersey colors. The cameras and sensors are entirely objective. There is no actual bias in the offside tracking technology. However, there is massive selection bias in how officials use the system — specifically, when referees decide to consult the te…