Simeone Reacts to Alvarez's Penalty Double Touch Incident

Julian Alvarez  Picture: Internet

In a dramatic titleholders League Round of 16 clash, Atletico Madrid faced a bitter exit against their megacity rivals, Real Madrid. The match, which ended in a penalty shootout, was overshadowed by a contentious decision involving Julian Alvarez's disallowed penalty. 

 

The Argentine forward, stepping up for Atletico, appeared to have scored during the shootout. Still, upon review, the thing was ruled out due to a" double touch" violation. According to the International Football Association Board's( IFAB) Law 14.1, a penalty taker is banned from touching the ball doubly successively unless another player intervenes. Alvarez, having lost his balance, inadvertently made contact with the ball using both his left and right bases, leading to the disqualification of his thing. 

 

Atletico's head trainer, Diego Simeone, raised his disgruntlement during the post-match press conference. He questioned the validity of the decision and the use of VAR in similar  scripts, challenging anyone to confirm they had witnessed the double touch." I’ve never seen VAR used to review a penalty in a shootout," Simeone remarked, expressing disbelief over the ruling. 

 

 On the other hand, Real Madrid's trainer, Carlo Ancelotti, supported the adjudicator's decision, stating that the double touch was apparent upon review. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also noted a commodity unusual about Alvarez's shot, which urged the adjudicator to probe further. 

 

This incident has reignited debates about the harshness of penalty rules. Interestingly, analogous cases have passed in the Premier League. Riyad Mahrez in 2017 and Aleksandar Mitrovic in 2023 both had penalties disallowed for double traces under similar circumstances. 

 

While Real Madrid advanced to the quarter- tests with a 4- 2 palm in the shootout, the contestation girding Alvarez's penalty continues to dominate conversations among football suckers and judges likewise.