VAR already had a bad reputation. But during UEFA Euro 2024 it reached a new level of ridiculousness.
Romelu Lukaku saw several goals ruled out for offsides so tight that the difference was just a few centimeters on the screen. The system’s images showed the Belgian striker’s silhouette with a small part of his body protruding beyond the defensive line. When social media saw exactly which area of the outline seemed to be ahead, it didn’t take even five seconds for everyone to reach the same conclusion: Lukaku, according to the memes, had been the victim of his own anatomy. 😅
Of course, VAR neither measures nor detects that — technically it analyzes shoulders, hips, and limbs — but that didn’t make the moment any less funny. Thousands of users shared the image with the same joke, and the gag spread faster than any counterattack in the tournament. In the end, Lukaku finished the Euros having celebrated almost nothing, and football gained one of its most memorable memes. Sometimes millimeters decide everything. Sometimes, they decide too much. ⚽