Iturralde says VAR should have reviewed Mbappe penalty in Racing Santander match

A penalty awarded to Kylian Mbappe during Real Madrid’s match against Racing Santander prompted a strong reaction from former Spanish referee Iturralde Gonzalez, who said the decision should not have been given.

Referee Munuera Montero pointed to the spot in the 10th minute after Mbappe went down inside the Racing Santander penalty area following contact with defender Prati.

The France forward was running towards goal when Prati’s arm made contact with his chest. Mbappe fell, leading to the penalty decision and protests from Racing Santander’s players, while the home supporters reacted with surprise.

Iturralde disagreed with the call, saying the contact was too slight to constitute a foul.

“There was nothing. It is not a penalty,” he said.

The decision also raised questions over the absence of a VAR review. Iturralde compared the incident with an earlier moment in a Getafe match, which had taken place around an hour before and in which video technology intervened over what he considered a similar level of contact.

He said consistency required VAR to apply the same standards in both situations.

“If VAR intervened for the Getafe foul, it should intervene here too,” Iturralde said, arguing that the seriousness of contact should be judged according to the same criteria in every match.

The former referee also assessed another penalty appeal from the same game, this time involving Diomande.

Before Mbappe’s penalty, Diomande had claimed he was fouled after Mantilla stepped on the edge of his foot inside the area. Munuera Montero allowed play to continue, and Iturralde supported that decision.

He said the contact in that case was minor and did not justify a penalty. Diomande appeared to limp for several minutes after the incident, but recovered and continued the match normally.

The fixture information listed alongside the report included AEK Athens in the Champions League on 04 November 2026, Real Madrid against Malaga in La Liga on 07 November 2026, and Racing Santander.

Listed fixtures

AEK Athens Champions League 04 November 2026

Real Madrid Malaga La Liga 07 November 2026

Racing Santander