UEFA have finally issued a statement regarding the controversial disallowed penalty by Julian Alvarez during the Champions League shootout between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
The European football governing body insists that the correct decision was made following semi-automated technology confirming a double touch by the Argentine forward.
Why Was Julian Alvarez’s Penalty Disallowed?
During the dramatic penalty shootout at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Julian Alvarez stepped up to take a crucial spot-kick.
Despite successfully converting, the goal was ruled out after VAR determined that he had made contact with the ball twice after slipping – once with his standing foot and then again with his striking foot.
UEFA’s statement read:
“Atletico 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.
“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.”
🚨 OFFICIAL: UEFA statement on Julián Álvarez penalty.
“Atlético de 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”.… pic.twitter.com/wOPeMpkzf6
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 13, 2025
Calls for Rule Review After UEFA Decision
Many fans and analysts have called for a rule change and that such a situation should lead to a retake rather than an outright miss.
Some have pointed out that when a goalkeeper makes an infringement by not having at least one foot on the goal line, the penalty is retaken, and that attackers should be granted the same opportunity.
When a GK steps out of his Goal line and saves the spot kick, it's an illegal save, so the pen is retaken , they just don't award the Goal to the opposition. So why should a double touch pen goal be disallowed and not retaken?? Very stupid law that will be scrapped this year
— Emzel (@Emzyl_) March 12, 2025
Despite UEFA standing by the call, they have acknowledged that the rule itself may need to be reassessed.
“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.”
Christina Unkel Warns of UEFA’s ‘Slippery Slope’
Former FIFA referee Christina Unkel has raised concerns over UEFA’s approach to transparency in refereeing decisions.
Speaking to CBS Sports, she warned that UEFA might be heading towards a “slippery slope” by setting a precedent of releasing definitive proof for every controversial decision.
“If you put out information saying, ‘Here are the angles they’ve decided on, here are the calibration levels, here’s where the kick-point was indicated by the semi-automated technology, this is why the referee makes the decision on X, Y, and Z, then you get into the slippery slope argument.”
“I think [UEFA] may determine it’s probably too much of a slippery slope to show those types of calibrations.”@ChristinaUnkel shares her thoughts on whether fans will get more information on controversial decisions such as the Atlético Madrid double touch penalty incident 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/dVVjCuik52
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 13, 2025
She highlighted that fans may begin demanding similar levels of transparency for all VAR decisions, including close offside calls.
Will UEFA Improve Transparency in VAR Decisions?
The incident has also sparked debate over whether UEFA should provide more detailed explanations for key refereeing decisions.
Unkel admitted that given the high stakes of the match, greater clarity from UEFA would have been beneficial for fans.
“I wish it was a bit more demonstrative… because of the gravity and significance. It would have helped to show that it was a VAR overturning and a cancellation of the decision.”
With discussions set to take place with FIFA and IFAB, the controversy surrounding Julian Alvarez’s penalty could lead to significant changes in how UEFA handle VAR decisions in the future.
