In the upcoming Club World Cup starting this month in the United States, if a player’s foot slips while taking a penalty—like it did for Julián Álvarez—and the ball is touched twice, he will now be given another chance to retake the shot. This was announced yesterday by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body responsible for football’s laws.
On Tuesday, IFAB revealed changes to the “double touch” rule, stating that if a player accidentally touches the ball twice while taking a penalty and scores a goal, the goal must be disallowed and the penalty retaken.
This comes after an incident in March during the Champions League Madrid derby shootout, when Álvarez’s goal was disallowed because his foot slipped and the ball was touched twice. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) caught the double touch, and according to the rules, the goal was cancelled. Real Madrid eventually won 4-2.
UEFA, European football’s governing body, said at the time, “According to the current rules, the referee had no choice but to disallow the goal.” However, they also mentioned that they would discuss the matter with FIFA and IFAB.
Finally, on Tuesday, IFAB announced that the new rule will take effect on July 1, but FIFA has confirmed it will be applied at the Club World Cup in the US later this month.
Lucas Broughton, IFAB’s Secretary, said in a statement, “When a player unintentionally touches the ball twice with both feet or touches the ball with one foot immediately followed by the other while taking a penalty, referees often disallow the goal. However, the rule was originally meant only for intentional second touches.”
Broughton added that such accidental double touches can confuse goalkeepers. Therefore, if the ball goes into the net in these situations, the penalty should be retaken.
However, if the ball does not go in after an accidental second touch, the opposing team will be awarded an indirect free-kick according to the rules. And if a penalty shot fails in a shootout due to this, it will count as a “miss.”
