Marciniak Breaks His Silence on Alvarez’s Controversial Penalty: “Mbappé Said Nothing—But I Saw It All!”

<MADRID (Spain) - Real Madrid surge ahead, leaving Atlético Madrid reeling once more. The annulled penalty for Julián Álvarez in the dramatic shootout to determine advancement to the Champions League quarter-finals has stirred quite the hornet’s nest. Atlético can hardly fathom the referee’s decision to disallow the kick due to purported double contact by the player from Simeone’s camp. Just yesterday, UEFA released footage that does little to clarify the contentious incident, leaving fans and pundits scratching their heads. Did Julián Álvarez indeed make two contacts with the ball? A definitive answer remains elusive. After two days of heated discussions, we hear from Polish referee Szymon Marciniak, who shares his perspective with the Win Win portal, effectively dousing any speculation surrounding Kylian Mbappé’s involvement. Marciniak stated, “I was the one who informed the VAR officials there was a 99% chance that Álvarez touched the ball twice. They reviewed it thoroughly on video. It’s absolutely false that Mbappé communicated anything regarding Álvarez’s touches; I noticed the anomaly myself. I've never encountered a situation like this in my officiating career,” he concluded, adding, “But players are well aware of the rules.”