The French national team was denied a penalty in their 3-1 victory over Senegal in Group I of the 2026 World Cup.
The situation occurred in the middle of the second half when French forward Kylian Mbappe made a high-speed breakthrough into the Senegalese penalty area. In an effort to stop the French striker, Sadio Mane made a sliding tackle that caused Mbappe to fall. Immediately, the French players collectively demanded a penalty.
Initially, main referee Alireza Faghani awarded France a corner kick. However, after receiving a signal from the VAR team, the Australian referee was asked to review the situation on the pitch-side monitor.
As Mr. Faghani approached the viewing area, many players and coaching staff members of the French team believed their team was about to be awarded a penalty.
However, the final decision surprised everyone. After reviewing multiple camera angles, referee Faghani determined that Mbappe was the one who initiated the contact and did not award France a penalty.
Even the initial corner kick was canceled and replaced with a goal kick for Senegal after the video showed Mane did not touch the ball in this situation.
The refereeing team’s decision immediately sparked a wave of controversy. On the BBC broadcast, former Scotland international Pat Nevin called it an “absurd” decision.
Meanwhile, legend Alan Shearer expressed confusion, arguing that Mane clearly made contact with Mbappe’s leg from behind and it could not be said that the French forward initiated the collision.
Darren Cann, an assistant referee who officiated the 2010 World Cup final, expressed a similar view. He affirmed this was a clear penalty and revealed that many top referees around the world had texted him to express their bewilderment at Faghani’s decision.
However, the French team did not have to regret it for too long. Just minutes after the controversial incident, Mbappe received a delicate through ball from Michael Olise to open the scoring. Bradley Barcola then added another goal before Mbappe completed his brace, making a major contribution to helping “Les Bleus” secure all 3 points on their opening day.
