Spanish referees admit serious error in Real Madrid’s penalty against Racing Santander

The Technical Committee of Referees in Spain has ruled that the penalty awarded to Real Madrid in their 3-0 win over Racing Santander should not have been given.

Kylian Mbappe was awarded the spot-kick after going down inside the area while attempting to move past Racing Santander defender Mateo Prati during the teams’ Spanish league meeting in the 11th round of the season.

The committee confirmed on Wednesday, 08 November 2026, that the contact between the Real Madrid forward and Prati did not justify a penalty. Its assessment was reported by Spanish newspaper AS.

Referees’ committee finds no link between contact and fall

The referee pointed to the penalty spot after Mbappe fell as he tried to accelerate with the ball. Prati had placed an arm in front of the France international, but the committee said the defender had not used sufficient force to bring him down.

Reviewing the incident on the “Review Time” programme, the Technical Committee of Referees said: “Mbappe controls the ball inside the penalty area and tries to move forward quickly, while Prati places his arm in front of the forward without exerting any force on him.”

It added: “There is a clear absence of a causal link between the contact and the fall. There is no penalty. It was a clear and serious error by the referee, and the video assistant referee should have intervened.”

Real Madrid went on to win the match 3-0, but the penalty decision prompted strong protests from Racing Santander’s players during the game.

The committee’s subsequent analysis has now backed the visitors’ objections, confirming that the decision to award the penalty was incorrect.