Former referee Bruno Paixao says Mbappe penalty decision ignored football’s rules

Former Portuguese referee Bruno Paixao has criticised the decision not to order a retake of Kylian Mbappe’s late penalty for Real Madrid against Real Betis, saying VAR should have asked referee Alejandro Hernandez to review the incident.

Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the season on Friday, losing 1-0 away to Real Betis in the fourth round of La Liga.

Mbappe had the chance to rescue a point in second-half stoppage time, but his penalty was saved by Real Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles. The decision not to retake the kick became the focus of debate after defender Marc Bartra appeared to enter the penalty area before the ball was struck and then became involved by stopping Mbappe from following up after the save.

Spanish newspapers reported that Hernandez’s decision was consistent with the interpretation of the laws issued by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). Paixao, however, believes the penalty should have been retaken.

“Real Betis’ defender was inside the penalty area when the kick was taken, and he later became involved in the play by sending the ball out for a corner,” Paixao told Kooora.

“The VAR should have alerted the referee to review the incident on video and make the correct decision.”

The interpretation reported by the Spanish press states that whether a player has encroached depends on the position of their feet, or any part of their body touching the ground, at the moment the ball is kicked.

Parts of the body that are in the air are not taken into account, nor is their vertical projection on to the pitch, unless the player’s entire body is off the ground. Under that interpretation, Bartra was considered to be outside the area because his foot was suspended in the air and was not touching the playing surface.

Paixao rejected that explanation in emphatic terms.

“The player was inside the penalty area. This is football, not basketball!” he said.

Basketball rules allow players to touch the ball outside the court provided they are not touching the ground, which was the comparison Paixao used to mock the decision.

He added: “For example, if a player is outside the penalty area but touches the ball with his hand while the ball itself is inside the area, the correct decision is to award a penalty.”

Paixao also defended Hernandez over another contentious decision involving Real Madrid midfielder Arda Guler.

At the start of the second half, Guler obstructed a Real Betis player. Hernandez awarded a free-kick but did not show the Turkish player a second yellow card. Guler had already been booked late in the first half, and Real Betis captain Isco protested, calling for him to be sent off.

In Paixao’s view, the referee was right not to dismiss Guler.

“In my opinion, it was a normal foul by the Real Madrid player and there was nothing that justified a yellow card,” he said.

“The referee made the correct decision in that incident.”

Born in 1974, Paixao is regarded as one of Portugal’s leading former referees. His career began in 1990 and continued until 2018, while he took charge of his first Portuguese top-flight match in 1997.

He was a FIFA international referee from 2004 to 2012 and was listed among Uefa’s top-category officials during the 2012-13 season. During his career, he refereed matches in the Portuguese league and a range of other domestic, European and international competitions.

Away from refereeing, Paixao worked as an engineer in industrial production, combining that profession with his long career in officiating.