VAR controversy has reached the global stage as Kylian Mbappe found himself at the centre of a contentious decision during France's opening match of the 2026 World Cup against Senegal.
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. The Liverpool legend slid in recklessly, missed the ball, and brought the France striker down, but the referee Alireza Faghani simply awarded a corner.
VAR investigated, though, and after being sent to the monitor, Faghani confirmed his earlier decision of no goal. 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 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.
