UEFA will discuss rule changes with FIFA and IFAB after Julian Alvarez had a penalty disallowed in Atletico Madrid’s UCL loss to Real Madrid.
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The controversial penalty kick
Real Madrid progressed to the quarterfinals after a 4-2 penalty shootout win following extra time at the Metropolitano.
VAR ruled out Alvarez’s penalty for Atletico due to a supposed double touch on the ball.
That led to protests from Atletico, with coach Diego Simeone insisting that “the ball didn’t move.”
“The referee said when Julian got to the penalty spot he touched the ball with his standing foot. But the ball did not move,” he said.
Simeone asked journalists to raise their hands if they believed officials had made the right call in disallowing Álvarez’s penalty.
“Raise your hand, anyone who saw Julian touch it twice, who is going to raise their hand? Nobody has raised their hand,” shouted Simeone.
Alvarez penalty decision could spark rule changes
UEFA released frame-by-frame footage on Thursday that appeared to show “minimal” contact with the ball by Alvarez’s standing leg.
“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,” UEFA said in a statement.
“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.”
IFAB, the International Football Association Board, is responsible for the laws of the game and any proposed changes.
Officials disallowing Alvarez’s penalty confused many in the stadium on Wednesday, as they initially didn’t realize the decision.
Atletico, led by Simeone, then protested after the match.
Simeone’s side dominated Wednesday’s match for long stretches, winning 1-0 on the night thanks to Conor Gallagher’s goal.
