Croatian model and supporter Ivana Knoll—known to many as the World Cup’s sexiest fan —has fiercely criticized a controversial refereeing decision made during the match against Portugal. She alleges that this specific decision was the reason Croatia was eliminated from the World Cup. On Thursday night, Portugal defeated Croatia 2–1 to advance to the quarter-finals; however, a controversial decision in the dying moments of the match garnered more attention than the result itself. In the 103rd minute of extra time, Joško Gvardiol had equalized for Croatia by sending the ball into the net from close range.
However, the goal was disallowed following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review. The ruling stated that during the build-up, Croatian forward Igor Matanović had made contact with the ball with his head, directing it toward an offside teammate. Television replays made it difficult to clearly determine whether Matanović had actually touched the ball. Yet, data from a special microchip embedded in the match ball indicated that he had made contact. Later replays suggested the ball might have grazed his hair, though there was no clear indication that this altered the ball’s trajectory or direction.
Outraged by this decision, many Croatian fans took to social media to protest. Ivana Knoll, who was present at the stadium, also wrote on social media: “Norwegian referee, you did a terribly bad job.”
Meanwhile, some fans have highlighted FIFA’s regulations regarding semi-automated offside technology. These rules state that hair is considered part of the body only when it affects the ball’s speed or trajectory. Typically, this occurs during significant contact with thick hair, such as a top-knot hairstyle. Croatian media outlet Gol protested the decision, noting that video footage clearly shows the ball’s trajectory did not change by even a millimeter despite the potential touch by Matanović. Therefore, according to FIFA’s own rules, this should not have been considered “actively playing the ball.”
After the match, Matanović admitted he felt the ball had grazed his hair slightly as the cross came in. He said, “To be honest, I felt the ball brush against my hair a little. I later asked the referee what had happened, because I wasn’t sure if I had actually touched the ball or not.”
