Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has spoken out against the lengthy delay Kylian Mbappe faced before taking a penalty during a World Cup quarter-final match, describing the situation as "unfair."
France was awarded a penalty after Mbappe was fouled by Noussair Mazraoui. However, a VAR review and subsequent refereeing actions, including Mbappe having to reposition the ball on the spot, resulted in a delay of over three minutes from the time the penalty was awarded to when it was ultimately taken. This extended pause occurred before France's match against Morocco in Boston.
"It is unfair," Keane stated on ITV. "Over three minutes. I know these are world-class players but it is unfair because it is a pressure situation. Why does he have to wait three minutes? These are world-class players but it is unfair."
Keane elaborated that the prolonged wait works against the player by granting the goalkeeper and the defending team an advantage. "Time is the enemy for a striker when you're waiting, so you're giving the advantage back to the goalkeeper and the team who've conceded the penalty, so it's not right," he added.
Former striker Ian Wright, also an analyst for ITV, suggested that the significant delay could allow doubts to surface in a player's mind. "It probably does put you off. The longer you have to wait for a penalty the more you doubt what you're going to do. This stuttering penalty technique, the goalkeepers seem to have a march on it now."
Despite the penalty miss, Mbappe went on to influence the game in the second half. He scored a long-range goal to give France a 1-0 lead, marking his 20th World Cup goal in 20 appearances. He later assisted Ousmane Dembele's goal, which secured France's 2-0 lead with 25 minutes remaining in the match.
