As a result of the controversy that surrounded the video assistant referee (VAR) after Julian Alvarez’s penalty against Real Madrid, UEFA has made a decision that came as a surprise.
The Champions League match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, which was the second leg of the match, went all the way to penalties on Wednesday night, which caused this match to make headlines.
Alvarez, a star player for Atletico Madrid, had his penalty kick disallowed during the shootout because the video assistant referee (VAR) determined that the 25-year-old had touched the ball twice. This meant that his kick violated the rules of football and ended up being an unsuccessful attempt.
Real Madrid eventually advanced to the next round after prevailing in the shootout by a score of 4-2; the defending European champions’ defender Antonio Rudiger scored the game-winning penalty kick resulting in the victory.
A significant decision was made by the governing body of European football, which is known as UEFA, less than twenty-four hours after the match.
Statement from UEFA regarding the penalty incident involving Alvarez
According to a report by Fabrizio Romano, the European Union Football Association (UEFA) is planning to initiate discussions with FIFA, the governing body of world football, and IFAB (The International Football Association Board) regarding the possibility of altering the rule that pertains to Alvarez’s penalty kick.
It is in accordance with the suggestions that a retake might be more appropriate than the penalty counting as a miss in the event that a double kick was caused by an accident.
In a statement released by UEFA, the organisation stated, “Atletico de Madrid enquired with UEFA over the incident, which led to the disallowance of the kick from the penalty mark taken by Julian Alvarez at the end of yesterday’s UEFA Champions League match against Real Madrid.”
As can be seen in the video clip that is attached, the player actually made some contact with the ball using his standing foot before kicking it. This contact was not particularly significant. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was required to call the referee in order to signal that the goal should be disallowed in accordance with the current rule (Laws of the Game, Law 14.1).
“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.”
A former referee named Antonio Mateu Lahoz gave the following statement in response to the incident that occurred on Spanish television: “If I were to referee such a momentous play again, I wouldn’t be comfortable if they told me… As soon as I went to see it, I would make a decision about it.
“Well, I am responsible for it,” she said. I have to take responsibility for it and then make a decision based on what I believe to be appropriate. In my opinion, that is how refereeing is understood.
During this time, Diego Simeone, the manager of Atletico Madrid, stated, “I just saw the image of the penalty.” As Julián stepped and kicked, the referee stated that he made contact with the ball with his foot; however, the ball did not move in response to his action.
“That’s something to discuss about whether it was a goal or not, but I’m proud of my players.”
