The International Football Association Board has issued a clarification to Law 14 after an incident involving former Man City striker Julian Alvarez
Referee Szymon Marciniak indicates Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid touched the ball two times when taking his penalty in the shoot-out
Referee Szymon Marciniak indicates Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid touched the ball two times when taking his penalty in the shoot-out
Football lawmakers have announced that from July 1, 'double touch' penalties that are taken accidentally and result in a successful kick will be allowed to be retaken.
This comes after UEFA called for a review of the laws regarding these rare occurrences following a contentious incident in March during the Champions League last 16 shoot-out between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
Atletico's Julian Alvarez, formerly of Manchester City, was at the centre of controversy when his spot-kick was disallowed after he slipped and inadvertently touched the ball with his standing leg, ultimately leading to Real Madrid winning the shoot-out.
In response to this, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), responsible for determining the laws of the sport, has provided a clarification on Law 14.
The IFAB revealed that Referees had been "understandably" penalising all instances of accidental second touches due to the law not specifically addressing such events.
The new guidance issued by the IFAB to national federations and continental confederations states that deliberate double touches are the main focus of Law 14.
The IFAB recognised that it would be unjust to ignore any double touch, thereby allowing goals from such attempts, as goalkeepers could be deceived by the change in trajectory of the ball.
Following the update, if an accidental 'double touch' penalty results in a goal, it will now be retaken, but if the attempt is unsuccessful, it should lead to an indirect free-kick during regular play or be counted as missed during a penalty shoot-out.
It comes as Manchester United and Man City await next season's Premier League fixtures.
The top flight's schedule for 2025/26 is due to be released on Wednesday, 18 June 2025. United missed out on qualification for any of the European competitions while City will compete in the Champions League.