The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second-leg clash between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid was not short on drama, with the involving Julian Alvarez’s penalty. The decision to cancel the goal left Atletico fans furious, but Polish referee Szymon Marciniak has now revealed how he reached the call.
Marciniak: ‘I told VAR there was a 99% chance’
Speaking about the incident, Szymon Marciniak clarified that he was the one who initially suspected Julian Alvarez had touched the ball twice during his penalty attempt after a 2-2 aggregate draw.
“I was the one who informed the VAR referees that there was a 99% chance that Alvarez touched the ball twice, and they checked it thoroughly,” Marciniak stated.
His words debunked some claims that external influences, including a supposed remark from Kylian Mbappe, played a role in the decision.
“It is absolutely false that Mbappe told me anything about the two touches,” he added.
The controversial moment
The incident occurred during the penalty shootout on Thursday. Julian Alvarez stepped up to take his turn as Atletico’s fourth penalty taker and converted it successfully. However, after VAR review, the referee overturned the goal and ruled that double touch had happened.
Atletico players and fans were left frustrated by the decision, as it significantly impacted their chances in the match. Atletico eventually lost the match 4-2 on penalties, thus getting knocked out of the Champions League. Real Madrid qualified for the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, UEFA later issued a statement, where it acknowledged the controversy and said it will discuss with FIFA and IFAB whether the rule should be reviewed.
“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,” the statement read.
“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,” it concluded.