Referee explains why Mbappe was denied a penalty against Senegal

A disputed incident in France's match against Senegal drew attention when Kylian Mbappe was brought down in the box but was not awarded a penalty. The referee was sent to review the play by VAR, yet he stuck with his original decision and gave a throw-in instead of a spot kick.

According to the referee's explanation, the Real Madrid forward had “initiated the contact” before the later collision with the Senegalese defender. On that basis, the referee said the late contact was no longer relevant to the action and declined to change his call, even though the VAR officials disagreed.

The episode was reported by Sport 5 on June 16, 2026 at 23:34 and described as a controversial moment in the France-Senegal game. The report noted that the incident took place in the World Cup context, but it did not say whether there would be any further review or consequences.