Juventus vs. Milan: Controversy Surrounds De Winter—Why Didn’t VAR Step In?

Cissé’s goal in the Juventus-Milan match left behind an incident bound to spark debate. The play leading to the Rossoneri’s goal actually began with De Winter winning the ball back from Kolo Muani. During the tackle, the Milan defender’s foot made contact with that of the Juventus forward, but referee Mariani let play continue. A few seconds later, the goal was scored.

The footage confirms that contact occurred. Luca Marelli also highlighted this during the DAZN analysis: De Winter’s heel struck the tip of Kolo Muani’s foot. However, the presence of contact does not automatically mean there was a foul, nor does it mean that VAR must necessarily ask the referee to review the play on the monitor.

The VAR protocol calls for an automatic review of every goal and allows for intervention even in the case of a possible foul committed by the scoring team during the play leading up to the goal. The manner in which the team in possession of the ball gained that possession may also be assessed. There is therefore no rule stating that a foul cannot be assessed by VAR simply because it occurred far from the goal. However, distance can be a factor in determining the start of the attacking phase directly linked to the goal.

And this is precisely one of the central aspects of the incident in Turin. The contact between De Winter and Kolo Muani actually occurred several seconds before Cissé’s shot. The ensuing play unfolded and changed rapidly, which is why the VAR may have deemed the tackle too far removed from the decisive action to warrant a review on the field.