The Spanish Referees' Committee admits a serious error in favour of Real Madrid

A valid objection

Spain's Technical Committee of Referees has admitted that the penalty awarded to Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé against Racing Santander, in the eleventh round of the Spanish league, was wrong.

Spanish newspaper "AS" reported on Wednesday that the committee had acknowledged a serious refereeing error in the 3-0 win, confirming that the contact between Mbappé and defender Mateo Prati did not warrant a penalty.

The referee had pointed to the spot after Mbappé went down inside the box. The Frenchman had tried to burst past Prati, who threw an arm across him as he set off with the ball.

Referees' committee: there is no connection between the contact and the fall

Speaking on the "Review Time" programme, the Technical Committee of Referees explained that Prati placed his arm in front of Mbappé without exerting any force, and that there was nothing in the incident to justify a penalty.

The committee said in its analysis: "Mbappé controls the ball inside the penalty area and tries to set off quickly, and Prati places his arm in front of the striker without exerting any force on him."

It added: "There is a clear absence of a causal connection between the contact and the fall, there is no penalty. A clear and serious error by the referee, and the video assistant referee technology should have intervened."

Racing Santander were furious. Their players protested the decision during the match, and now the Technical Committee of Referees has confirmed they were right all along.