Mbappe penalty call leaves former referee questioning VAR process

Real Madrid were awarded a controversial penalty against Racing Santander on Sunday, with former referee Iturralde Gonzalez criticising the decision and questioning why VAR did not intervene.

The incident came in the 10th minute of the La Liga match, when Kylian Mbappe ran into the penalty area and went down after slight contact from Prati’s arm around chest height.

Referee Munuera Montero pointed to the spot, prompting a strong reaction from the Racing Santander supporters. Although there was contact between the two players, it was limited and, according to Iturralde, did not warrant a foul.

“It is not a penalty,” Iturralde Gonzalez, a former referee and refereeing analyst for AS and Cadena SER, said.

The main dispute centred on the decision not to refer the incident to VAR. The technology did not recommend an on-field review because contact between the players had occurred.

That decision appeared inconsistent with an incident in Getafe’s match only an hour earlier. VAR intervened in a similar situation despite the contact being extremely slight. There was broad agreement that the contact in that case was also insufficient for a foul, even though it had taken place.

“If VAR intervened for the foul in the Getafe match, then it should intervene here as well,” Iturralde said.

“From the point of view of consistency in refereeing decisions, if there was an intervention in that case because a hand was placed on a player’s face, then there should also be an intervention in this one.”

He added: “If VAR intervened in one incident where there was contact and assessed how forceful it was, why should it not intervene to assess the force of this contact?

“People no longer understand how VAR works.”

There was another possible penalty incident involving Diomande shortly before the award to Real Madrid. Mantilla appeared to step on the front of the Ivorian player’s foot, but Munuera Montero allowed play to continue.

Iturralde supported the referee’s decision in that instance, describing the incident as accidental.

“It is an incidental coming together, nothing more. It is not a penalty,” he said.