Football lawmakers make major rule change after Julian Alvarez’s controversial Champions League penalty vs Real Madrid
THE International Football Association Board (IFAB) has made a significant change to penalty rules following a controversial shootout in the Champions League this term.
Atletico Madrid were knocked out of Europe's elite competition by Real Madrid in the last-16 after a penalty from Julian Alvarez was ruled out following a VAR check.
The striker had slipped when running up to shoot and subsequently double-touched the ball with both feet.
Although it was barely noticeable at first, VAR deemed the kick to be illegal and it was not registered as a goal.
Atletico went on to lose the match 4-2 on penalties, sparking a furious reaction from Diego Simeone and fans.
The manager said: "I just saw the image of the penalty. The referee said that when Julian stepped and kicked, he touched the ball with his foot, but the ball didn't move. That's something to discuss about whether it was a goal or not, but I'm proud of my players.
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"When he plants his foot and kicks, the ball doesn't move even a little bit. But if VAR called it, I've never seen a penalty called by VAR, but it's still valid, and they'll have seen that he touched it. I want to believe they'll have seen that he touched it."
The outrage has prompted the IFAB to alter Law 14 which is based on a player intentionally kicking the ball twice during a penalty.
Because Alvarez did not intentionally shoot twice during the shootout, the regulation has been amended to account for similar situations.
It now states: "The penalty taker inadvertently hits the ball with both feet simultaneously or the ball touches his supporting foot or leg just after taking the kick: If the ball enters the goal, it will be repeated.
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"If the ball does not enter the goal, an indirect free kick will be awarded (unless the referee grants an advantage when the action clearly benefits the defending team) or, in the case of penalty shoot-outs, the shot will be recorded as missed."
Meanwhile, if a player voluntarily kicks with both feet, the alternative rule states: "An indirect free kick will be awarded (unless the referee grants an advantage when the action clearly benefits the defending team) or, in the case of penalty shoot-outs, the shot will be recorded as missed."
