According to a report by Madrid Universal on Monday November 2, 2026, the VAR audio has revealed why referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero overturned a penalty awarded against Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni during their 3-0 victory over Racing Santander.

The incident occurred in the 71st minute of Sunday's La Liga encounter at El Sardinero, when Munuera initially pointed to the spot after judging that Tchouameni had handled the ball.

However, the VAR team, led by Luis Mario Milla, intervened and recommended that the referee review the incident at the pitchside monitor.

The communication from the VAR room was clear, with the officials asking Munuera to reconsider his original decision.

"Jose Luis, I recommend you review the footage to consider cancelling the penalty you've awarded, please," the VAR official said.

As the referee made his way to the monitor, he reassured Racing Santander manager Jose Alberto that he would examine the incident.

"I'm going to have a look, Jose Alberto, I'm going to have a look. Jose Alberto, don't worry, I'm going to check it," Munuera told him.

During the review, the VAR officials explained that Tchouameni had deliberately played the ball before it subsequently struck his hand.

"Right, we can see that the Real Madrid player, Tchouameni, played the ball deliberately and it subsequently struck his hand; therefore, we consider this to be a 'play-in'," the VAR team explained.

Munuera requested another view of the incident, asking for the footage to be shown more clearly and for a longer duration.

After watching the replay several times, the referee sought clarification on whether any Racing Santander player had touched the ball before the handball incident.

"We understand, Luis Mario, that at no point did the Racing player touch the ball," he said.

When the VAR official confirmed that no Racing player had intervened, Munuera explained his final decision.

"As only the Real Madrid player touched the ball and played it towards his hand, we consider that it is not a penalty because it is a 'play-in-play' situation," the referee stated.

The decision sparked frustration among Racing Santander supporters, who had initially believed their team had been handed an opportunity to get back into the contest.

The reaction inside El Sardinero reportedly became heated, with one spectator even throwing a lighter onto the pitch.

There was also frustration because Real Madrid had been awarded a penalty earlier in the match, which Kylian Mbappe converted in the 11th minute to give the visitors the lead.

Despite the controversy, Real Madrid went on to secure a comfortable 3-0 victory, with Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande adding further goals before half-time.

The release of the VAR conversation has now provided further details about the reasoning behind the decision to overturn the penalty against Tchouameni.