“ There was 99% chance ” – Firstpost

The confrontation of the 16 -leg UEFA UEFA Champions League between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid was not short of theater, with the most controversial moment of the match involving Julian Alvarez’s penalty. The decision to cancel the goal left fans of the furious Atletico, but the Polish referee Szymon Marciniak has now revealed how he reached the appeal.

Marciniak: “I told Var that there was 99% chance”

Speaking on the incident, Szymon Marciniak said that it was he who initially suspected Julian Alvarez had touched the ball twice during his attempted penalty after a 2-2 draw.

“It was I who informed Var’s referees that there was a 99% chance that Alvarez touched the ball twice, and they checked it carefully,” said Marciniak.

His words have demystified certain affirmations according to which external influences, in particular a supposed remark for Kylian Mbappe, played a role in the decision.

“It is absolutely false that Mbappe told me anything on both keys,” he added.

The controversial moment

The incident occurred Thursday during the penalty shootout. Julian Alvarez intensified to take his turn as a fourth penalty lessee from Atletico and successfully converted it. However, after examining the Var, the referee canceled the objective and ruled that the double touch had occurred.

Atletico players and fans were frustrated by the decision, as it had a significant impact on their chances in the match. Atletico finally lost the 4-2 match in the penalties, being eliminated from the Champions League. Real Madrid qualified for the quarter -finals.

Meanwhile, UEFA later published a statement, where it recognized the controversy and said it would discuss with FIFA and IFAB if the rule should be examined.

“Atlético de Madrid wondered with UEFA on the incident, which led to the ban on the kick of the penalty bar taken by Julián Alvarez at the end of the UEFA Champions League of yesterday against Real Madrid,” the statement said.

“Although minimal, the player contacted the ball using his standing foot before giving it a kick, as shown in the attached video clip. By virtue of the current rule (law laws, law 14.1), the VAR had to call the referee reporting that the goal should be prohibited.”

“UEFA will come into discussion with FIFA and IFAB to determine whether the rule should be examined in cases where double contact is clearly involuntary,” he concluded.