Real Madrid's appeal for a retaken penalty was officially rejected by Spain's Technical Committee of Referees following the club's 1-0 defeat to Real Betis. The controversy erupted after Kylian Mbappé missed a spot-kick, with Los Blancos arguing that a Betis defender encroached inside the penalty area before the strike was taken.
José Mourinho questioned the decision at his post-match press conference, publicly challenging VAR official Iglesias Villanueva's judgment. "Why was the penalty against Betis not retaken?" the Portuguese manager asked. "Is it because the VAR was not aware of the rules? Or because it did not want to?" The accusation suggested either incompetence or deliberate negligence, intensifying scrutiny on the official's handling of the incident.
Technical Committee's Ruling
Reviewing the sequence frame-by-frame on Spain's "Review Time" programme, the referees' committee provided a detailed breakdown. Defender Marc Bartra, who cleared the rebound for a corner, had one foot in contact with the ground at the moment Mbappé struck the ball. The committee cited International Football Association Board regulations governing player positioning during penalties:
- If a player is airborne when a penalty is taken, their position is determined by their expected ground contact point
- The "in the air" rule only applies when the entire body leaves the ground
- A player with one foot grounded cannot be deemed to have encroached illegally
The committee concluded: "Bartra was not in the air because one of his feet was in contact with the ground. Nor did he step onto the penalty arc. Bartra committed no infringement." This judgment upheld VAR's original decision not to order a retake, effectively dismissing Real Madrid's protest and validating Iglesias Villanueva's interpretation of the laws.
The ruling represents a significant moment in La Liga's application of penalty law, setting a procedural precedent for future encroachment disputes. Real Madrid will face continued scrutiny over their handling of the incident as the season progresses.
