Norway forward Erling Haaland has criticised the officiating during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final between France and Morocco, İdman.Biz reports.
One of the key moments of the match came when Argentine referee Facundo Tello awarded France a penalty after Noussair Mazraoui fouled Kylian Mbappé. However, before the kick was taken, the referee waited more than three minutes for a VAR review to be completed, creating an unusually long delay.
The interruption appeared to affect Mbappé, who failed to convert from the spot as Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou produced an excellent save.
After the match, Haaland shared a photo of the television broadcast on social media and questioned the referee's handling of the situation.
"Waiting five minutes to take a penalty is too much," the Norway striker wrote.
Mbappé later admitted that the prolonged VAR review disrupted his concentration. The France captain said he initially believed the penalty decision had been confirmed before the uncertainty surrounding the review affected his focus prior to taking the kick.
France eventually recovered to win 2-0 and advance to the World Cup semi-finals, where Didier Deschamps' side will face the winner of the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium. Norway, meanwhile, are preparing for their own quarter-final against England.
