Mbappé's Denied Penalty Against Senegal: Referee Faghani Facing Early Elimination

The World Cup could end very early for Australian referee Alireza Faghani. His decision not to award a penalty in favor of Kylian Mbappé during the France-Senegal match triggered a wave of international criticism, to the point that FIFA’s refereeing commission is reportedly considering removing him as early as the group stage, according to the Herald Sun.

The disputed incident occurred when Mbappé, sent through on goal, fell after contact with Sadio Mané. The Senegal striker did not touch the ball, but Faghani judged the contact insufficient to constitute a foul. An assessment that VAR did not overturn, and that specialists have condemned almost unanimously.

“For me, it’s a penalty. Kylian Mbappé got past him, Sadio Mané tries to tackle the ball but is late and makes contact with his leg. Mbappé tries to get past Sadio Mané’s outstretched leg but is knocked off balance,” explains former referee Saïd Ennjimi. His colleague Franck Schneider is equally categorical: “It’s clearly a foul and the referee should have awarded the penalty.”

The controversy extends beyond French borders. Former international referee Darren Cann said he was “extremely surprised” that neither Faghani nor VAR identified the foul. Thomas Müller goes further on Magenta TV: “It’s an obvious foul. How can you not see it during the match, and especially not on video? It’s – and I never use this term lightly – a scandal that it’s not a penalty.”

The scale of the reactions is concerning Faghani’s circle in Australia. In 2018, he had refereed the France-Argentina round of 16 and then the third-place match between England and Belgium. This time, his path through the tournament could be cut short well before the knockout stages, with the refereeing commission, according to the Herald Sun, having taken a dim view of the media exposure of his decision.