Contradictions, precedents, and certainties in Julián Álvarez's controversial sentence

SabadellAtlético de Madrid manager Diego Pablo Simeone burst into the press conference by questioning the journalists: "Raise your hand if you've seen Julián touch the ball twice." The Argentine wanted to put the goal disallowed to his team during the penalty shootout at the center of the controversy. Champions League round of 16 second leg against Real Madrid (0-1, 3-4) and bitterly criticized the referee's decision.

In the controversial incident, Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was alerted to a possible procedural violation and put his finger to his ear. A few seconds later, he received a notification from Tomasz Kwiatkowski, located in the VOR Room in Nyon, ordering the penalty to be disallowed. There was no need to go to the monitor to review the incident. The kick wasn't added to the scoreboard. Rule 14 of the International Board—the body that sets the rules of football—specifies that if a player touches the ball twice in succession during a penalty kick, an indirect free kick will be awarded if it occurs during the course of the match, or a missed kick will be awarded if it occurs during a shootout.

Since it is considered an objective decision and therefore not subject to interpretation, the VAR can make the decision directly without the need for the main referee to review the action on the monitor located on the pitch. A situation comparable to offside or a ghost goal, in which the referee executes the order received from the VAR room. Kwiatkowski gave the order so that he had the camera shots and the frame by frame privileged to make the decision.

Precedents and contradictions

Social media was filled with comments and criticism this Thursday as the penalty benefited Real Madrid in a penalty shootout that took them to the next round of the Champions League. The penalty was ruled out by a mere millimeter and without full consensus on the images that, in theory, should reinforce the decision. There are plenty to choose from. On the other hand, there are other situations in which penalties were disallowed in similar circumstances, such as Solari's penalty in a River Plate match in the Libertadores. This is the preferred argument of Real Madrid fans, who maintain that the rules were applied.

There are also cases in which the kicker committed an infraction that was not overturned by VAR. One of the most recent was Athletic Club midfielder Mikel Vesga's in the Copa del Rey final against Mallorca. This example is pointed to by fans who believe Madrid benefited from a situation that was not clear cut.

There's another, older precedent, from 1999. Martín Palermo, a Boca Juniors forward, was preparing to take a penalty against Platense when he slipped, causing him to hit the ball with his left foot, which bounced off his right foot before finally going in. FIFA reviewed the case and issued a statement upholding the decision, deeming it "an accidental touch that wasn't intended to gain an advantage."

The evolution of football was accompanied by a change in the rules, which eliminated the concept of voluntariness in order to focus solely on the facts, regardless of the offender's intentions. Another instance of this atypical situation occurred in none other than the final of the World Cup in Qatar between Argentina and France. Leo Messi was preparing to take a penalty to break the 0-0 scoreline when the ball lightly touched his right foot after he shot with his left foot. The referees for that final were Marciniak and Kwiatkowski, but they didn't disallow Messi's penalty.

As a result of the controversy, UEFA issued a statement this Thursday to reinforce its claim that Marciniak correctly applied the current regulations at the Metropolitano. It also announced that it will begin talks with FIFA to further amend a rule that invalidates double penalties without considering the intention to extract a sporting advantage.

The best refereeing duo in the world

The Marciniak-Kwiatkowski duo is highly regarded by UEFA. They are the best referee and the best VARman in the world. They have performed prodigiously in recent years and are an absolute guarantee for Italian Roberto Rosetti, the head of continental refereeing.

Marciniak shone brightly during the 2022-23 season, in which he completed a dream season: he officiated the aforementioned World Cup final and the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan, played in Istanbul. The following season he put the icing on the cake by officiating the Club World Cup final between Fluminense and Manchester City. He managed to officiate the three most important finals in the world in a single year.