By Toby TAIWO
Super Eagles former captain Mikel Obi has condemned the controversial penalty that ousted Senegal at the 2026 World Cup.
Senegal became the third African team to lose in the Round of 36 after Belgium came back from two goals down to win 3-2.
The third goal came through a controversial penalty kick in last minutes of the extra time.
Mikel said, “We witnessed a shocking injustice. In a crucial moment of this vital game against Belgium, the referee chose to award a penalty against Senegal that simply did not exist. No foul.
“This is a decision that changed the destiny of the match and robbed a brave Senegalese team of a fair result. This is not refereeing — this is robbery. Senegal fought with heart, discipline, and pride, only to be punished by a call no honest observer could support.”
He called out FIFA to treat African teams better.
“We demand better. We demand fairness. African football deserves respect, not repeated scandals like this.”
Also speaking on the controversial penalty, the Senegalese captain said, “This is football, not theatre. Tielemans gets to the ball first, Camara is doing exactly what every defender is taught from the first day, clear the danger. They arrive almost together, and there’s only minimal, unavoidable contact after the challenge. That alone is not a foul.
ALSO READ: Hero Saibari fires Morocco to Round of 16 after pulsating penalties
“The Laws of the Game don’t punish every collision. A penalty requires a careless, reckless, or excessive-force foul. Simply making contact after both players challenge for the ball isn’t enough. Football is a contact sport, not a non-contact exhibition.
“VAR is supposed to correct clear errors, not turn every 50-50 duel into a courtroom trial. Every time the referee is dragged to the monitor for incidents like this, the game loses another piece of its soul. It’s like using a microscope to find an elephant; it makes no sense.
ALSO READ: Controversial penalty ends Senegal run, as Belgium squeeze through
“Modern football is becoming a house built on sand, one soft decision after another. The badge on the referee’s shirt is starting to carry more influence than the players wearing the jerseys. That’s not protecting the game; that’s suffocating it”
