'This is not justice!' - Atletico Madrid fans rage as IFAB announce major law change after Julian Alvarez 'double touch' penalty in Champions League defeat to Real Madrid

Alvarez saw his effort in a Champions League round of 16 shootout against rivals Real Madrid chalked off due to a 'double touch'. The referee, Szymon Marciniak, cited Law 14.1 of the game's regulations, ruling that the Argentine had made illegal contact with the ball using both feet and subsequently overturned the spot-kick after VAR intervention.

However, IFAB has now clarified the rule and under the revised guidance, if a penalty taker unintentionally touches the ball with both feet — for example, due to a slip or misstep — and scores, the penalty must be retaken rather than ruled out. This change means that while deliberate infringements will still be punished, those stemming from accidental movement or slips will no longer carry the same severe consequences.

A circular from IFAB read: "(When) the penalty taker accidentally kicks the ball with both feet simultaneously or the ball touches their non-kicking foot or leg immediately after the kick: If the kick is successful, it is retaken. If the kick is unsuccessful, an indirect free kick is awarded (unless the referee plays advantage when it clearly benefits the defending team) or, in the case of penalties (penalty shoot-out), the kick is recorded as missed.”

It added: "This situation is rare, and as it is not directly covered in Law 14, referees have understandably tended to penalise the kicker for having touched the ball again before it has touched another player, thus awarding an indirect free kick to the opposition or, in the case of penalties (penalty shoot-out), recording the kick as missed.

"However, this part of Law 14 is primarily intended for situations where the penalty taker deliberately touches the ball a second time before it has touched another player (e.g. when it rebounds from the goalpost(s) or crossbar without touching the goalkeeper). This is very different from the penalty taker accidentally kicking the ball with both feet simultaneously or touching the ball with their non-kicking foot or leg immediately after they have taken the kick, which usually occurs because they have slipped when taking it. Not penalising an accidental double touch would nevertheless be unfair, as the goalkeeper can be disadvantaged by the altered trajectory of the ball.”

But for Atletico, the damage has already been done. The timing of IFAB's rule revision has left the fans furious as they believe their club was unfairly eliminated from the Champions League based on a rule that has now been softened in retrospect.

@Andrei95561884 wrote: "Brother, this implies that there WAS a double touch. This is not making us justice."

@lachlan_olofsen argued: "That’s great can’t wait for this to happen in a game for another 10 years. Wonder what ridiculous rule they’ll use against Atleti next year 😂."

Meanwhile, @anhdp018 lashed out: "That's how Vardid thieves take 15 UCL."

@Alejandr_1903 echoed his thoughts and wrote: "The surprise comes as Real Madrid steals again in a competition."

@roxrichie added: "The number of decisions that has gone Real Madrid’s way in the UCL is just diabolical. They would have at least 4 less UCL’s if refs was fair."

An Atletico spokesperson reiterated their stance to The Athleticthat the referee made an error on the night, arguing that the original law should not have applied without clear intent from Alvarez to kick the ball using more than one touch. The IFAB amendment will officially come into effect in the upcoming season and is expected to bring more consistency and fairness to penalty rulings.