Headline: Racing Santander Manager Questions Penalty Decision Against Madrid’s Mbappe
Racing Santander manager Jose Alberto voiced his displeasure over the penalty awarded to Real Madrid for a challenge on Kylian Mbappe during his team’s 0-3 loss. He asserted that the level of contact was inadequate to warrant such a significant ruling.
The contentious moment unfolded just 10 minutes into the match, leaving the Racing manager frustrated with referee Munuera Montero and the lack of a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervention.
In a post-match press conference, Jose Alberto strongly stated his belief that the contact involving Mbappe did not justify the penalty. He did, however, recognize that a separate incident concerning Aurelien Tchouameni’s challenge was correctly ruled out.
Jose Alberto questions referee’s decision on Mbappe penalty
“I don’t understand the penalty against Mbappe. In football, there’s contact, but that’s not enough to award such a decisive decision,” he explained, acknowledging that Tchouameni’s penalty “was rightly disallowed.”
He went on to emphasize, “If 100 people see that play, surely 98 will say it’s not a penalty. If there’s an action that’s clearly not a penalty, they have to intervene because it’s a double error.” His frustration particularly focused on the decision not to engage VAR, which he felt should have been used to review the incident.
“VAR is there for incidents like Mbappe’s penalty. Touching a player is nothing; there’s contact in football. There was no grabbing, no pushing – nothing at all. Anyone involved in football will share my view,” he remarked, pointing out the inconsistency in officiating.
Racing boss takes dig at Mourinho over refereeing comments
Additionally, Jose Alberto raised questions about the usage of VAR, though he refrained from placing the blame on the technology itself. “VAR hasn’t made refereeing worse. We have great referees, but VAR was introduced to make the game fairer – it can’t end up being doubly unfair,” he asserted.
He shifted his focus to Jose Mourinho, recalling the Real Madrid manager’s previous comments regarding controversial decisions that favored his team. “He said that when a mistake went in his favour, he’d say so,” Jose Alberto noted, highlighting the need for accountability in officiating decisions.
