(Football news) Yesterday was quite an eventful day at the World Cup. The two Group C games started with the possibility of any team making it to the Round of 16. At the 67th minute mark, Poland were 2-0 down against Argentina while Mexico were leading 2-0 against Saudi Arabia. That meant that both Poland and Mexico were level on points. According to the World Cup rules teams are ranked based on points then goal difference then head to head then goals scored. The two teams were tied on all of the above therefore they were separated based on fair play. Poland were ahead because they had less yellow cards than Mexico.

The same situation happened in the last World Cup as Japan edged Senegal based on fair play. In the end Mexico conceded the goal so it didn’t matter. However the reason Mexico conceded was because they knew they had to score another goal to go through. The separation based on number of cards is not always fair because it is very subjective. Different referees consider different offenses worth a booking and that is something VAR doesn’t change. Had the referees been switched around maybe Poland would’ve had more yellow cards.

There are still 4 groups left to play their final matches and one of those can see fair play come into play. It is difficult to see FIFA persist with the rule in the next World Cup. According to reports from The Athletic, FIFA considered having penalty shootouts in group stage games that ended in a draw which could’ve been the best way to make sure fair play doesn’t come into play. Mexico will definitely be considering themselves unlucky to be out of the World Cup early.

Also read: 2022 World Cup: Argentina dismantle Poland to top the table and qualify for the Round of 16