The controversy continues over the Mbappé foul: “VAR acted correctly”

The Technical Committee of Referees has addressed the controversy surrounding the Real Madrid vs Girona match. The committee acknowledged that the elbow on Mbappé could have been awarded as a penalty, while also defending the decision not to intervene with VAR.

In the 87th minute, Mbappé went down inside the penalty area after being struck in the face by Reis. The Real Madrid forward, who was left bleeding, required medical attention, yet neither the referee nor VAR awarded a penalty.

“This is an action that can be interpreted in several ways. It may be seen as a consequence of the collision and the natural movement of the arm,” the committee explained. “The referee made a judgement call and chose to let play continue. However, it could also be considered reckless due to the contact with the face. With his arm extended, the player struck his opponent in the face, creating an obstruction. In the opinion of the CTA (Technical Committee of Referees), this constitutes a penalty offence.”

They added: “VAR acted correctly in not intervening.”

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