Haaland, Roy Keane blast World Cup referees over Mbappe penalty delay
The ongoing FIFA World Cup has served up another massive talking point after Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland and Manchester United legend Roy Keane took to social media and television to slam a lengthy VAR delay during France’s dramatic quarter-final clash against Morocco.
The incident revolved around French talisman Kylian Mbappe, who was forced to endure an agonizing wait of over three minutes before taking a crucial penalty. The delay appeared to take its toll, as Morocco’s penalty specialist, Yassine Bounou, comfortably saved Mbappe’s tame effort.
The drama unfolded when Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui fouled Mbappe inside the 18-yard box. While Argentine referee Facundo Tello pointed to the spot, officials in the VAR room in Dallas appeared unsure of the contact, triggering a painstaking review that lasted three minutes and 10 seconds.
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A visibly frustrated Mbappe could be seen protesting to the referee during the delay. When he was finally allowed to step up, his spot-kick lacked its usual conviction, allowing Bounou to make the save. Moments later, the Frenchman was spotted throwing his arms in the air and shouting towards the match officials.
Haaland and Keane weigh in
The prolonged wait quickly sparked outrage on social media, drawing criticism from some of football’s biggest names.
Norway international Erling Haaland took to Snapchat to express his disbelief, sharing a screenshot of the incident with the caption:
“Need to wait 5 mins to take a penalty is way too long.”
On punditry duty for ITV, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane was equally scathing of the refereeing team, arguing that such delays unfairly penalize the penalty taker.
“It is unfair, it’s a pressure situation. Why does he have to wait for over three minutes?” Keane questioned. “Time is the enemy for the striker; it almost gives the advantage back to the team who conceded the penalty. It’s not right, even for these world-class players.”
Why FIFA appointed an all-Argentine refereeing crew
The controversy has thrown a spotlight on FIFA’s refereeing appointments. For Thursday’s high-stakes match in Boston, all five on-site match officials—including the center referee, assistants, fourth official, and reserve assistant referee—were from Argentina.
While fans on social media raised eyebrows over the selection, historical data shows that FIFA has increasingly favored single-nation officiating teams at this tournament to improve communication:
England vs. Mexico (Last 16): Overseen by an all-Australian trio.
Argentina vs. Egypt: Handled by three French officials on the pitch, with two additional French referees in the VAR booth.
Significantly, FIFA finalized the appointment of the Argentine crew for the France-Morocco clash on Monday—well before Argentina played their own match against Egypt, dismissing any notions of reactionary scheduling.
Nevertheless, with VAR scrutiny reaching a fever pitch, the pressure is mounting on football’s governing body to streamline reviews before the semi-finals get underway.
