VAR 'crashed' mid-match, African team suffers the same fate as Vietnam women's team

An extraordinary event took place when the VAR system unexpectedly failed in the game between DR Congo and Benin at AFCON 2025.

A rare situation happened as the VAR technology abruptly broke down during the AFCON 2025 match between DR Congo and Benin.

The Benin team was extremely frustrated in their opening match at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after being denied a clear penalty against DR Congo when the VAR system suddenly stopped working mid-game.

Benin faced a disadvantage after falling behind to Theo Bongonda’s first-half goal for DR Congo, which remained the only score of the match. However, the main controversy arose in the second half when Chancel Mbemba handled the ball inside the penalty area. Slow-motion replays showed the 31-year-old extending his arm away from his body while trying to clear a free-kick taken by Jodel Dossou.

South African referee Abongile Tom initially waved away Benin’s penalty appeal but then consulted the VAR monitor to review the incident. However, the decision could not be changed because the VAR system unexpectedly suffered a technical failure and completely shut down.

This rare malfunction allowed DR Congo to narrowly avoid defeat, while Benin was furious, claiming they had been robbed of a clear penalty in their AFCON opener at Al Medina stadium. Additionally, issues with the referees’ communication equipment caused the match to have up to 10 minutes of added time.

Following this AFCON incident, many Southeast Asian fans couldn’t help but recall the disappointment of the Vietnam women’s team at SEA Games 33. In the final against the Philippines, Vietnam’s players were denied a goal by Bich Thuy due to a referee error, in a tournament without VAR. Despite different circumstances, both situations share the common feeling of injustice suffered by the teams.

At SEA Games, errors stemmed from human factors and lack of technological support, whereas at AFCON, the problem originated from the VAR system itself, which was expected to ensure fairness. This once again demonstrates that VAR is not a “magic wand,” and when it malfunctions, it can significantly affect the outcome of a match.

In the next round of Group D, DR Congo will face Senegal, while Benin must defeat Botswana to avoid an early exit from AFCON, as another loss would almost certainly end their hopes of advancing.

DR Congo harbors strong ambitions in this tournament despite recent reports that they might be disqualified from the intercontinental World Cup playoff for fielding up to nine ineligible players.