Atletico vs Real Madrid VAR official replaced for Tottenham clash after Julian Alvarez penalty controversy
THE VAR responsible for chalking off Julian Alvarez’s controversial ‘double-kick’ penalty has been axed from his next European game.
Tomasz Kwiatkowski, the Polish official, has been removed from the refereeing set-up for Tottenham Hotspur‘s Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Kwiatkowski fuelled a frenzy during the penalty shoot-out between city rivals Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16 at the Estadio Metropolitano, when he disallowed Alvarez’s successful spot-kick in a matter of seconds.
Kwiatkowski deemed that the Argentine had touched the ball twice as he slotted past Thibaut Courtois.
That sparked outrage amongst Atleti staff and supporters alike.
There was such an uproar after the game that Uefa were forced to back the VAR’s decision with an official statement, even releasing a video of the spot kick to demonstrate Kwiatkowski’s thought process.
The incident also prompted Uefa to admit that they were ready to readdress the ‘double-kick’ law.
It seemed as though things would return to normal when the fiasco simmered down, but the debate has been reignited by Kwiatkowski’s axing for Spurs’ Europa League tie with Frankfurt.
Uefa have not publicly given a reason as to why the change has been made, leaving fans in the dark ahead of tonight’s game.
Kwiatkowski has been part of referee Szymon Marciniak’s team since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but he will not be in London as initially planned.
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Instead, he will be replaced by Spaniard Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez in the VAR control room.
Tottenham host Frankfurt in tonight’s game, which kicks off at 8pm.