There was a time when football was glorious because — like those who played it — the sport was fallible. That a referee might miss an offside, that a linesman’s flag might quiver, that a hand might divinely intervene — these uncertainties were the beating heart of the game. Then we invented VAR, and overnight, we insisted that football be audited, second-guessed, refereed by committee. The joy is gone.

Call it recency bias, call it straightforward, actual bias, but on Saturday night in Lisbon, the game offered a grim reminder of what we’ve lost. A penalty was awarded against Dara O’Shea for handball after a shot from Francisco Trincão struck his arm. The original decision went to VAR review, and the on-field verdict stood. Critics immediately cried foul — replays suggest the ball clipped his chest first, the arm was “unnatural,” and the speed left no realistic reaction time. 

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