Erling Haaland, the Norway national team star, has criticised the length of time taken by the Video Assistant Referee review before Kylian Mbappe's penalty kick during France's victory over Morocco in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup, arguing that the prolonged wait contributed to the miss.
Argentine referee Facundo Tello awarded France a penalty in the 25th minute following a challenge by Noussair Mazraoui on Mbappe, before the decision was subjected to a lengthy VAR review lasting more than 3 minutes, after which the original ruling was upheld and the kick was taken.
Mbappe missed the penalty after Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved his effort, marking the first penalty the France striker has missed in his World Cup finals career.
Haaland, who watched the match, wrote on his Snapchat account: "Having to wait 5 minutes to take a penalty is way too long" — a comment widely interpreted as a criticism of the lengthy VAR review process before the kick was taken.
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane also weighed in, criticising the duration of the review, saying that waiting more than 3 minutes is not fair, and arguing that time works against the striker in such situations and gives an advantage to the team that committed the foul.