UEFA Justifies Álvarez’s Disallowed Penalty and Considers Rule Review

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has stated that the decision to cancel Julián Álvarez’s penalty during Atlético Madrid’s Champions League defeat against Real Madrid was correct. However, the governing body is set to discuss a possible rule review.

Atlético Madrid protested angrily to UEFA after the referee annulled Álvarez’s penalty in the round of 16, which saw Real Madrid advance to the quarter-finals of Europe’s top club competition.

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) detected that Álvarez’s left foot made slight contact with the ball before he struck it with his right foot.

In a statement, UEFA explained: “Despite minimal contact, the player touched the ball with his standing foot before striking it.”

It further clarified: “Under the current rule (Laws of the Game, article 14.1), the VAR was required to inform the referee to cancel the goal.”

UEFA announced that it will engage in discussions with FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to determine whether the rule regarding accidental double touches should be reviewed.

Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone expressed his doubts: “I want to believe the referees made the right decision. I’ve never seen a penalty overturned by VAR before, but okay, maybe they saw the touch. I want to believe that.”

Speaking to the press, he challenged: “Let anyone who saw Julián touch the ball twice raise their hand. Who raises their hand? No one.”

Since only a single touch is allowed during a penalty kick, Álvarez’s attempt was disallowed, preventing Atlético from leveling the shootout at 2-2.

UEFA concluded by reaffirming its commitment to discussing a possible revision of the rule in cases where a double touch is clearly unintentional.