UCL: UEFA to review double-touch penalty rule after Álvarez incident

UEFA has addressed the controversy surrounding Julián Álvarez’s disallowed penalty in Atlético Madrid’s Champions League clash against Real Madrid, confirming that the striker unintentionally made a double touch before converting his spot kick.

This is as UEFA announced plans to review the rule on double-touch penalties after Julián Álvarez’s disallowed spot kick in Atlético Madrid’s Champions League match against Real Madrid sparked controversy.

In an official statement on Thursday, UEFA revealed that Atlético Madrid had sought clarification over the incident, which played a decisive role in their elimination from the tournament.

“Atlético de Madrid enquired with UEFA over the incident, which led to the disallowance of the kick from the penalty mark taken by Julián Álvarez at the end of yesterday’s UEFA Champions League match against Real Madrid,” the statement read.

According to UEFA, video analysis confirmed that Álvarez made slight contact with the ball using his standing foot before striking it, a violation of Law 14.1 of the Laws of the Game.

“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 explained.

The decision sparked widespread controversy among fans, pundits, and Atlético’s head coach, Diego Simeone, as the Madrid-based club crashed out of the tournament.

UEFA also confirmed that discussions would be held with FIFA and the International Football Association Board regarding a possible review of the rule in cases where a double touch is clearly unintentional.

“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,” the statement concluded.