Why were France not awarded a penalty for Kylian Mbappe incident against Senegal? | OneFootball

VAR controversy has reached the global stage

Kylian Mbappe found himself at the centre of VAR controversy as France faced Senegal in their first match of the 2026 World Cup.

The Real Madrid forward started the match in New York but struggled to impact play throughout the first half, which ended goalless.

The match opened up after the break, though, and he began to play a more concerted role, finding space in behind as he drew smart saves from Edouard Mendy.

As France pushed hard to break the deadlock, he was brought down clumsily in the box by Sadio Mane.

Sadio Mane tackles Kylian Mbappe in the box but gets away without conceding a penalty

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The Liverpool legend slid in recklessly, missed the ball, and brought the France striker down, but the referee Alireza Faghani simply awarded a corner.

Speaking over the stadium tannoy, he claimed that Mbappe had initiated the contact himself, and thus the incident was not deserving of a penalty.

He appeared to have awarded a spot kick as he pointed towards the 18-yard box, but instead gave Edouard Mendy a goal kick.

Mbappe appeared to drag a leg in an attempt to win a spot-kick, but the VAR decision has not been well received.

Speaking on the BBC, former referee Darren Cann said: “For me this is a penalty. There is no contact with the ball and the defender brings Mbappe down.”

Alan Shearer, co-commentating, concurred, adding: “I don't get it. You can see the lunge from Mane and his left leg catches Mbappe. How can Mbappe initiate contact if he is in front of him? It's bizarre it really is.”

Mbappe fired home to put France 1-0 up shortly after the incident, which came early in the second half.