Referee Expert: Bartra Was Inside the Penalty Area, Mbappé's Penalty Should Have Been Retaken

According to COPE, in Matchday 4 of La Liga, Real Betis defeated Real Madrid 1-0, and Mbappé's penalty kick in the closing stages of the match was saved by goalkeeper Álvaro Valles. Referee expert Pedro Martín analyzed this controversial decision and argued that according to the rules, if a player's body is already inside the penalty area, it constitutes a violation.

During commentary on Tiempo de Juego, Elly-Fladd and the commentary team focused on the positioning of Real Betis player Marc Bartra. Bartra was the player who cleared the ball after Valles saved the penalty. From the match footage, it was evident that before Mbappé touched the ball, Bartra's body had already crossed the penalty area line, prompting Real Madrid players to protest to referee Hernández.

What Does the Rule Say?

Referee expert Pedro Martín then explained why the referee did not order a retake of the penalty.

Regarding Bartra's position at the moment Mbappé took the kick, Pedro Martín clearly stated: "In principle, if a player's body is already inside the penalty area, they have committed a violation. It doesn't matter whether they step on the line or not."

Pedro Martín then elaborated on the practical interpretation criteria adopted by referees in such situations while criticizing how referees apply the relevant rule.

He said: "That's what the rule says. The problem is that now penalties and whether they should be retaken have become a joke. In the end, they make their own interpretation in some matches, believing that if your foot hasn't entered the penalty area, then you haven't committed a violation."

According to Pedro Martín, the written rule is very clear about player positioning when a penalty is taken, but the standard applied in practice differs.

He continued: "They saw that the Betis player technically didn't step into the penalty area, so they didn't order the penalty retaken. But this is their own interpretation, because the rule is very clear: if your body is inside the penalty area, and this Betis player was inside the penalty area at that moment, then the penalty should have been retaken."

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