Double-Touch Penalty Rule Changed After Alvarez Controversy (image-instagram/juliaanalvarez)

During the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in March, a controversy erupted regarding the penalty shot taken by Alvarez. He had originally put his penalty kick past Thibaut Courtois at the Metropolitano, but saw his effort wiped away for an accidental double touch. Álvarez slipped while taking his shot, inadvertently making contact with the ball using his standing foot before striking it with his other foot. The VAR decision led to the disallowance of the penalty. Atletico ultimately lost the shootout 4-2, resulting in their elimination from the competition.

Thus, the decision had sparked debate. Atlético’s manager, Diego Simeone, questioned the clarity of the evidence and expressed frustration over the VAR intervention. UEFA, after hearing the club’s complaint, went on to review the law with FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which led to the rule change.

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IFAB declared that if a penalty taker accidentally makes contact with the ball with both feet, a successful penalty kick must now be retaken. The effort will no longer count as a miss.

Under the new rule, Alvarez would have been allowed to retake his penalty against Real Madrid. However, IFAB said it was “understandable” that Marciniak disallowed the striker’s penalty given the prior rule stated a player must not touch the ball twice when taking a penalty.

IFAB stated that the officials had applied the rules correctly at the time, as the wording in Law 14 was not clear enough in cases of accidental infractions. The revised guidance aims to distinguish between intentional and accidental second touches during a penalty.

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The updated rule will now be applied at the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup, which will begin on June 14 in the United States, featuring 32 teams including Atletico Madrid.