On Tuesday, laws on penalty kicks clarified, following Julián Álvarez’s unintentional double touch that ended Atlético Madrid’s run in the Champions League. UEFA has announced that the new interpretation will be used in Wednesday’s Nations League match between Germany and Portugal which is going to take place at the Munich Football Arena in Germany. According to the new rules introduced by IFAB and supported by FIFA, the penalty disallowed for Álvarez in the shootout with Real Madrid in March needs to be retaken.
🚨 BREAKING: IFAB has amended the rule that saw Julian Alvarez's penalty rendered void.
A new circular states that it “understands the referees,” but clarifies that Law 14 was designed for intentional double touches
The wording now adds that these types of penalties be retaken. pic.twitter.com/oVgfUT9fCP---Advertisement---— HF World (@hfworld_) June 3, 2025
IFAB’s Statement About This New Penalty Law
“This situation is rare, and as it is not directly covered in Law 14, referees have understandably tended to penalize the kicker,” IFAB said in a statement. “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.”
IFAB’s Clarification About This New Penalty Law
IFAB sent a notice to clubs, leagues and players stating that any penalty kick that results in an accidental double touch should be re-taken. A penalty taken twice is over if the player fails to score the first time. If a shootout ends in a penalty it is counted as missed and during either normal time or extra time the defending team is given a free kick, according to the IFAB. Starting this June 14 at the Club World Cup in the United States, the clarified law will be followed. There are 32 teams in the tournament and Atlético is one of them.
