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Simeone Questions VAR Decision on Alvarez Penalty
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has raised doubts over the controversial VAR decision that ruled out Julian Alvarez’s penalty in his team’s Champions League defeat to Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Real Madrid secured a 4-2 victory in the penalty shootout after a 2-2 aggregate draw in the last-16 tie. Alvarez’s spot-kick was disallowed after VAR determined he had made a double contact with the ball due to a slip.
Simeone, visibly frustrated, told reporters, “The referee said Julian touched the ball with his standing foot, but the ball did not move.”
However, he chose to focus on his team’s performance, adding, “We competed in an exemplary way. Yes, we could not beat Real Madrid, but they had a really bad time against us again.”
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Despite his skepticism, Simeone said he wanted to believe the officials made the right call. “I’ve never seen VAR intervene in a penalty decision like this,” he noted before challenging reporters to confirm the double touch. “Raise your hand if you saw it clearly… Nobody has raised their hand.”
Meanwhile, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insisted that Alvarez had touched the ball twice, calling it “a bit of bad luck” for Atletico.
He also dismissed Atletico’s complaints, saying, “I’m sick of this victimhood… the refs don’t want to help particular teams, not in Spain, not in Europe.”
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti backed the decision, stating that VAR had detected the double touch. “I saw it too, I think he touches it with his left foot,” Ancelotti said.
