Christina Unkel, a rules specialist, has offered her thoughts on the contentious VAR ruling at the Wanda Metropolitano that denied Julian Alvarez’s penalty for allegedly using two hands. Following Wednesday night’s penalty shootout loss to city rivals Real Madrid, the call ultimately played a part in Atletico Madrid’s Champions League elimination.
The decision’s correctness is still up for debate, despite the release of fresh film that provides the clearest look to date. Before Marcos Llorente’s missed penalty sealed Atletico’s fate, the former Manchester City attacker stumbled while striking the ball, which subsequently went beyond Thibaut Courtois. However, the goal was ruled out.
Former FIFA referee Unkel has clarified the problem, telling a perplexed CBS Sports studio that merely rewatching from multiple perspectives won’t provide the solution. Rather, she referred to a more recent technology created especially for similar situations, which many people appear to have missed in their quest for solutions.
Rules Expert Clears Up Julian Alvarez Penalty Controversy
The former FIFA referee cast her verdict to the CBS Sportsstudio
When Kate Scott asked Unkel what the VAR procedure would have been in the seconds before Alvarez’s penalty was disallowed, Unkel responded as follows (see the video below at 4:07): “The rule is clear-cut: the ball has been touched [twice].”
The fact that VAR also includes semi-automated offside technology, which allows them to detect when the ball is touched, is another factor to remember.
“As opposed to the World Cup, there isn’t a chip in the ball, but VAR will have watched the touchpoints in addition to the video. VAR can be more accurate thanks to the technology’s roughly 26 cameras that track limb movements and a camera on the ball.
“The referee is always listening in on VAR discussions, waiting to hear ‘check complete’ before moving on to the next kick,” she continued. “The referee will then be called in by the VAR.” In order to provide confirmation, VAR is now not only watching the film but also keeping an eye on the semi-automated offside system’s sequencing.
“Now, in order to reduce confusion from the standpoint of the spectators, I would have preferred to see the referee demonstrate the VAR check a bit more by using the TV feed to show those on the pitch what is happening. However, the law is the law, the rule is the rule, and that’s what you get for the millions of dollars that were spent on the game today.”
Real Madrid defeated their derby rivals to guarantee their place in the Champions League quarterfinals, where they will take on an injured Arsenal, thanks to Alvarez’s disallowed penalty and Llorente’s missed attempt. Los Blancos has eliminated Diego Simeone’s team from Europe’s top competition five times in the twenty-first century.
