Story perspectives

VAR denies Senegal penalty in France's 3-1 win

6/17/2026

Summary

Mbappé Goal

Referee Alireza Faghani ruled Sadio Mané’s challenge on Kylian Mbappé did not merit a penalty, signalling a goal-kick and saying the attacker initiated contact.
France beat Senegal 3–1 in the opener on 16 June 2026, with Mbappé scoring twice after a Michael Olise through-ball and a goal by Bradley Barcola.
Darren Cann, Pat Nevin and Alan Shearer called the decision a clear penalty and “rubbish.”
Broadcasters questioned the “attacker initiated contact” rationale.

Summary

Senegal Stripped Title

Senegal’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations title was stripped after a walk-off protest, with the appeal ongoing.
Coach Pape Thiaw, who won the title, oversaw Senegal’s first competitive match since the final.
Referee Alireza Faghani denied a penalty after VAR review.
The MetLife Stadium match in East Rutherford, New Jersey, drew 80,545 spectators.
France manager Didier Deschamps confirmed this will be his last World Cup after 14 years leading Les Bleus.

Summary

Faghani Officiates

Alireza Faghani refereed the France-Senegal group match at the World Cup.
His assistants were Australians George Lakrindis and James Lindsay.
Sandro Schärer was fourth official and Abdullah Al-Shehri acted as VAR.
Faghani, an Asian Football Confederation Referee, officiated the 2016 Rio final.
His record includes 439 matches with 1,589 yellows and 37 reds, 22 games in 2025-26, and the Bolivia-Suriname playoff on 26 March 2026 in Guadalupe, Mexico.

History

Historical Context

The 2002 round-of-16 clash between South Korea and Italy, refereed by Ecuadorian Byron Moreno on 18 June 2002, sparked about 400,000 complaints over two disputed penalties. A similar dispute arose in the 2026 France-Senegal opener when Iranian referee Alireza Faghani denied Sadio Mané’s penalty, prompting renewed calls for stricter FIFA oversight of officials through training and VAR expansion.

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Mbappé Goal

Referee Alireza Faghani ruled Sadio Mané’s challenge on Kylian Mbappé did not merit a penalty, signalling a goal-kick and saying the attacker initiated contact.
France beat Senegal 3–1 in the opener on 16 June 2026, with Mbappé scoring twice after a Michael Olise through-ball and a goal by Bradley Barcola.
Darren Cann, Pat Nevin and Alan Shearer called the decision a clear penalty and “rubbish.”
Broadcasters questioned the “attacker initiated contact” rationale.

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