UCL: UEFA addresses Alvarez’s controversial penalty decision against Real Madrid
On Thursday, March 13, UEFA released an official statement regarding the controversial penalty decision that went against Atletico Madrid in their Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
The match, which ended 2-2 on aggregate after 210 minutes, was ultimately decided by a penalty shoot-out. The key moment came when Julian Alvarez took the fourth penalty for Atletico Madrid.
With the score at 2-1 in Real Madrid’s favor, Alvarez slipped as he took his shot. Initially, it appeared that he had escaped any consequences after the ball flew into the roof of the net. However, following a VAR review, the officials determined that Alvarez had made contact with the ball with his standing leg before striking it with his other leg, resulting in a double touch.
According to the rules governing penalties, this is not allowed, and as a result, the goal was disallowed. This left the score at 2-1 in favor of Real Madrid, and Fede Valverde subsequently sealed the win by making it 3-1.
In a statement today, UEFA explained the decision and outlined their plan to review the rule with FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB). UEFA’s statement read:
“Atlético de Madrid enquired with UEFA over the incident, which led to the disallowance of the kick from the penalty mark taken by Julián Alvarez at the end of yesterday’s UEFA Champions League match against Real Madrid.
“Although minimal, the player made contact with the ball using his standing foot before kicking it, as shown in the attached video clip. Under the current rule (Laws of the Game, Law 14.1), the VAR had to call the referee signalling that the goal should be disallowed.
“UEFA will enter discussions with FIFA and IFAB to determine whether the rule should be reviewed in cases where a double touch is clearly unintentional.”
