France - Sénégal : Ce que pensent les arbitres du monde sur le penalty non sifflé à Kylian Mbappé
France made a successful start to their 2026 World Cup campaign on Tuesday, defeating Senegal 3-1 thanks in particular to a brace from Kylian Mbappé. Before opening the scoring, the French captain thought he had been awarded a penalty, but referee Alireza Faghani failed to give it. This decision has left many incomprehensible to the world's top referees.
It was a decision that could have changed the course of the match. With France and Senegal still tied (0-0) after a lackluster first half from Les Bleus, Kylian Mbappé went down in the penalty area following a reckless tackle from Sadio Mané just before the hour mark.
When Alireza Faghani immediately pointed to the corner flag, several French players rushed towards him to demand a VAR review. After a few moments of hesitation, VAR took over the replay and asked the Australian official to review the footage. This did not change his initial decision to award a goal kick to the Lions of Teranga, much to the dismay of Didier Deschamps' players.
"For me, it's a clear penalty."
"My phone keeps ringing with messages from several of the best referees in the world who also don't understand why a penalty wasn't awarded," said Darren Cann, assistant referee of the 2010 World Cup final, on BBC One.
He continued: "Honestly, I cannot support the referee's decision. For me, it's a clear penalty. It's very, very clear, and I'm extremely surprised that he didn't point to the spot after a proper VAR review."
Pat Nevin echoed this sentiment, calling the decision "stupid." "How could he (Mbappé) have initiated the contact? That's the most absurd argument I've ever heard," the former Scottish winger told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I don't understand it. You can clearly see Mané's charge and his left leg touches Mbappé," added Alan Shearer, former England captain, on BBC One. "How can Mbappé initiate contact if he's in front of him? It's bizarre, really."
A decision that ultimately had no consequences for the French national team.
On the sidelines, Didier Deschamps continued speaking with the fourth official to confirm that Sadio Mané had indeed made contact with Kylian Mbappé during the controversial incident. "The situation in the penalty area… there was a VAR review, and I won't tell you what I said to the fourth official," he stated. "As for the referee saying that Kylian moved his leg forward, I'm not sure I saw that. A penalty should have been awarded, but that's my interpretation. The referee is always right."
This decision ultimately didn't hurt Les Bleus, who opened the scoring moments later... thanks to Kylian Mbappé, perfectly set up by Michael Olise (66th minute). Bradley Barcola then increased the lead with a magnificent chipped shot (82nd minute), but Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back with a powerful strike (90+5). Before the French captain finally secured the victory with a thunderous 25-meter shot (90+6), making him the sole all-time leading scorer for the French national team (58 goals in 99 appearances).
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