Faraj Benlahusin, Media365: Published Saturday, June 27, 2026 at 8:48 p.m.
Before being substituted for the France-Norway match, Kylian Mbappe handed his armband to the match referee. But why did he do this?
This Friday in Boston, France played well in their last meeting in Group I of the 2026 World Cup, defeating Norway (4-1) and finishing on top. The meeting was marked by a hat-trick from Ousmane Dembele in 32 minutes. The Bluesโ all-time leading scorer, Kylian Mbappe, worked hard to plant his banner. However, in vain, despite his crossbar after twenty seconds of play or his long-range shot before the hour mark (56th). Having lasted relatively long on the court to score his fifth goal of this World Cup, the French captain was finally replaced by Jean-Philippe Mateta (87th).
Mbappe is under pressure from new FIFA rules
Not such a trivial change. Because, leaving the field, Kylian Mbappe made an unusual gesture. After putting on the armband, he handed it to the match referee before taking his place on the bench. But why did he do this? The explanation is actually quite simple. New rules introduced by FIFA during this World Cup require players who give up their place to leave the field within ten seconds under the threat of their team being outnumbered. Afraid of not allowing Jean-Philippe Matete to participate in the game for at least one minute, until the next stoppage of play, the Real Madrid striker prepared for the most urgent action.
He then gave his headband to Michael Oliver, taking care to tell him the name of its future owner: Aurelien Tshuameni. While he calmly walked towards the exit, Kylian Mbappe did not notice him, but the English referee did it well, at a slow trot. A funny scene that sparked thousands of comments on social media. Mostly unflattering, they essentially accuse the Blues captain of behaving like a dictator.