- Penalty Kick Rule Change: What It Means for Players After the Álvarez Incident.
- New UEFA Rule Aims to Make Shootouts Fairer and More Consistent.
- Atlético’s VAR Drama Sparks Major Update in Football’s Laws.
The Union of European Football Association, UEFA has had it’s rule for penalty kicks updated.
This comes after Atlético Madrid’s forward Julián Álvarez had his spot-kick against Real Madrid controversially ruled out.
The incident occurred during their Champions League shootout in March.
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Before, if the player taking the penalty made a ‘double touch’—hitting the ball with both feet the penalty didn’t count.
With the new rule, if that happens by accident and the ball goes into the net, the penalty is simply retaken rather than being cancelled.
This update follows Atlético’s exit from the tournament, which was partly because Álvarez’s successful penalty was overturned after a VAR check.
The club officially complained to UEFA, which led to FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB) getting involved.
In a statement, IFAB explained:
“If a penalty taker accidentally kicks the ball with both feet or if it strikes their non-kicking leg immediately after the kick, and the ball goes in, the penalty will be retaken.”
> “If the kick is unsuccessful, an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team, unless the referee plays advantage. In shootouts, the attempt is simply recorded as missed.”
In a shootout, it just counts as a missed attempt.
Also Read: Ousmane Dembélé Named UEFA Champion League Player of the Season
IFAB noted that these situations don’t happen often and aren’t clearly covered in Law 14, so people have interpreted it differently before.
The change is meant to make things fairer and recognize that mistakes can happen when players are under pressure.
In the event that led to the new rule, Álvarez thought he had scored, which would have made the shootout 2-2.
But Real Madrid’s players argued that he had hit the ball with his stationary foot.
VAR checked and agreed there was double contact, so referee Szymon Marciniak disallowed the goal.
Atlético then missed more penalties, which let Real Madrid move on to the quarter-finals.
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