Seven days after Real Madrid’s qualification for the Champions League quarter-finals, the penalty denied to Julian Alvarez is still making headlines. While it seemed that the controversy had been put to rest, Alex Soler has questioned the UEFA’s explanatory video.
Atletico Madrid and its president remain convinced that something is wrong with the penalty denied to Julian Alvarez during the penalty shoot-out in the return leg of the Champions League round of 16. Days after the comments from referee Szymon Marciniak and UEFA, who explained that the attempt by the Atletico striker was rightly denied for double contact at the moment of the shot, many refuse to accept this verdict. From Diego Simeone to president Enrique Cerezo, as well as other external figures, all speak of an unjust decision.
“My theory is that it is a modified video”
Ultimately, while the controversy begins to subside with the international FIFA break taking place this week, Alex Soler, a video editing expert, has questioned UEFA’s explanatory video. In a statement shared by Marca, the editor accuses the European football governing body of manipulation regarding the video it released to defuse the controversy.
“Being used to editing, when I saw the video, it seemed strange to me. The quality is very poor, and it looks like the shadows disappear. It seemed very suspicious to me. I have no logical explanation. On all these points, my theory is that it is a modified video,” says the expert from Good Night and Good Goals, after rewatching the video published by UEFA. This statement is likely to upset Atletico supporters, who are convinced there is a conspiracy in favour of Real Madrid.
After Soler’s revelation, Irati Vidal, another speaker on Radio Marca at the time of the revelation, added to the controversy: “There is a big difference between the image we saw live and the one in the UEFA video. They could have released it immediately to clear up the doubts, but they did it two days later. I could understand a manipulation,” he said.
Not everyone believes in manipulation
In any case, the damage is done. Regardless of the comments or revelations that have come out in the days following this fiercely contested match during both regular time and extra time, it is Real Madrid who came out victorious with the ticket to the quarter-finals against Arsenal. No matter the criticism of the refereeing decision, Atletico will no longer play in the Champions League this season. It is time to move on and show sportsmanship, because if Marcos Llorente had not missed his penalty, Atletico would not have been eliminated. Lucas Vázquez had missed his shot in the meantime, allowing Atletico to level the score.
It should be noted that not everyone believes in the controversy reignited by the video editor, as Látigo Serrano, another commentator on Radio Marca where the revelation was made, refuses to believe it. “Knowing that UEFA is one of the most corrupt organisations out there, it would seem very clumsy for them to have modified the video to provide explanations. They do what they want, so the simplest solution would have been to give no explanation at all,” said the commentator on Radio Marca. It’s up to each person to draw their own conclusion.
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