UEFA issue statement justifying Julian Alvarez’s ruled-out penalty vs Real Madrid | OneFootball

Real Madrid eliminated Atletico Madrid from the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday in a penalty shootout, but the match was overshadowed by controversy.

The key moment during the shootout came when Julian Alvarez’s penalty was disallowed because he was ruled to have touched the ball with both feet before striking it.

The decision sparked debate among the fans while Atletico Madrid also sought an explanation, prompting UEFA to release an official statement today.

In it, UEFA confirmed that Alvarez had made minimal contact with the ball with his standing foot before striking it, and under the current rules, the goal had to be disallowed, while also providing relevant video footage which showed the double touch.

The statement read: “Atletico 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.”

“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.”

The clarification from UEFA, backed by video evidence, should put an end to the debate and the conspiracy theories about the decision.

Real Madrid, having managed to eke out a win by the slimmest of margins, will now face Arsenal in the quarter-finals.