Erling Haaland’s post about the referees and VAR in the France vs Morocco game is quickly going viral.
Erling Haaland shared his thoughts after Kylian Mbappe had to wait more than three minutes to take a penalty during Thursday’s World Cup quarter-final between France and Morocco.
Mbappe was clearly frustrated with the Argentine referee Facundo Tello and the VAR team, who made him wait 3 minutes and 10 seconds before he could take the penalty. The 27-year-old earned the penalty after Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui fouled him in the box, but the VAR officials wanted to double-check the contact, leading to the long delay.
In the end, the referee and his team confirmed the penalty, but Mbappe’s weak shot was saved by Morocco’s penalty expert Yassine Bounou. Right after, Mbappe threw his hands up and seemed to shout at the referee out of frustration.
The long wait quickly became a hot topic on social media. Norway striker Erling Haaland jumped into the conversation, posting a picture of the moment with the caption, “Need to wait 5 mins to take a penalty is way too long.”
Former player and pundit Roy Keane also spoke out, saying, “It’s unfair. It’s a high-pressure moment, so why make a player wait over three minutes? It’s tough on these top players. Time shouldn’t be the enemy—it almost helps the team that gave away the penalty. It doesn’t feel right.”
All five match officials at the game, including the fourth official and reserve assistant referee, were from Argentina—a fact that caught a lot of attention before the match in Boston.
Fans questioned FIFA’s choice on social media, but while this was the first World Cup match where every official was from the same country, it’s actually common for referees and their assistants to come from the same nation.
For example, England’s 3-2 win over Mexico had three Australian referees, and France’s 3-2 win over Egypt involved three French officials, with two more working in the VAR room.
FIFA decided on the referee appointments for the France vs. Morocco game on Monday, before Argentina played against Egypt.