FC Barcelona needed to weave some 15-pass patterns and find the back of the net in open-play six times to earn three points against Deportivo Alavés this weekend but Real Madrid got their usual handout at El Sardinero. However, José Mourinho’s men fell victim to one of the softest penalties in La Liga this year that has prompted Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) to take a look.
The 10th minute saw the newly-promoted side hanging onto a 0-0 scoreline. Kylian Mbappé took to the ground after having a brief clash with Racing’s Matteo Prati in the box and referee José Luis Munuera Montero awarded the penalty without any issue.
"It is nothing, there wasn’t a penalty": Experts and Archivo VAR criticise Munuera Montero
After seeing the footage again you can see there was only light contact to Mbappé’s stomach and that wasn’t enough to knock over a professional. However, Luis Mario Milla Alvendiz, the VAR official, completely failed in his duty and did not ask Munuera Montero to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Former La Liga referee and officiating analyst at Cadena SER Eduardo Iturralde González said:
"It is nothing, there wasn’t a penalty. If they reviewed another incident that had contact and analysed how intense the contact was then they should do the same here. People don’t understand how VAR works anymore."
Archivo VAR gave Munuera Montero a devastating 1.5/10 score and said it was a "total refereeing error". It also said it was Munuera Montero’s worst ever game of the 2026/27 season so far. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Technical Commission that is headed up by Fran Soto will be reviewing the incident between Prati and Mbappé to see why VAR did not intervene. This will take place during Tuesday’s Tiempo de Revisión session.
Penalty double standards caused outrage in Santander
What caused the real anger in Santander was how VAR acted differently in each of the penalty boxes.
During the first half Milla Alvendiz remained quiet in the VAR booth after Mbappé fell to the ground due to light contact. During the second half, however, Munuera Montero awarded Racing Santander a penalty after Aurélien Tchouaméni of Real Madrid committed a handball and the VAR booth became active.
Milla Alvendiz asked Munuera Montero to review the incident on the pitchside monitor. He asked for close-ups and highlighted footage to argue that the ball hit Tchouaméni’s body before hitting his arm. The camera angles did not give any clear evidence to whether Tchouaméni or the Racing player touched the ball first but Munuera Montero changed his decision after watching the footage.
When Real Madrid receive a penalty from a phantom whistle it is because they had little contact. When the opposition receive a whistle it means VAR comes in with a magnifying glass.
Real Madrid extend ridiculous La Liga penalty record in 21st Century
Apart from receiving handouts in the title race, the present in Santander meant Real Madrid broke another key record. After Mbappé scored from the spot Real Madrid have now broken their record for the most penalties awarded in La Liga history. They are now ahead by an incredible 81 penalties compared to the next best team in Spanish history. They are also ahead by 103 penalties compared to Atlético Madrid.
If we solely take the 21st Century into consideration Real Madrid remain top with 235 penalties awarded in La Liga. This puts them well ahead of Barcelona (204) and Athletic Club (171).
After seeing Hansi Flick’s side battle to stay three points ahead at the top of the table due to injuries in defence, the message from Matchday 11 is clear. Even if Real Madrid cannot break down a newly-promoted side in open-play they will always receive a friendly whistle and a quiet VAR booth.
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