FIFA has published new rules regarding penalty kicks in the tournament.

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The revision of the rules stems from controversies that followed Atlético Madrid's elimination in the Champions League after Julián Álvarez's accidental double touch before taking a penalty.

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The new interpretation, published on June 3 in an official statement, ruled that the revised rules will take effect in UEFA-organised games on Wednesday when Germany clashes with Portugal in a Nations League semifinal in Munich.

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According to the revised rule, "... if a player scores a penalty after an accidental second touch, like slipping and unintentionally contacting the ball twice, the penalty must now be retaken, rather than ruled as a miss."

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This means that the kind of penalty Atlético forward Álvarez had disallowed after scoring in a shootout against Real Madrid in March should now be retaken and not disallowed like it would have been initially.

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Álvarez slipped and kicked the ball against his standing left foot in the shootout in the Champions League round of 16.

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After the looping ball beat Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for an apparent score, the goal was ruled out by a video review, and Atlético ultimately lost the shootout.

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The statement continued that cases like Álvarez's rarely happen in football; hence, Law 14, which stipulates rules about penalty kicks, doesn’t clearly explain what to do. So, referees usually decide to punish the player taking the penalty.

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However, it clarified that "However, this part of Law 14 is primarily intended for situations where the penalty taker deliberately touches the ball a second time before it has touched another player."

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"This situation is rare, and as it is not directly covered in Law 14, referees have understandably tended to penalise the kicker."

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"However, this part of Law 14 is primarily intended for situations where the penalty taker deliberately touches the ball a second time before it has touched another player," IFAB said in its statement.

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IFAB also offered clarification to soccer stakeholders that a penalty kick that is scored now after an accidental double touch should be retaken.

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A double-touch penalty that is not scored will not be retaken. In a shootout, such a penalty "is recorded as missed," IFAB said, and during regulation time or extra time, a free kick can be awarded to the defending team.

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The clarified rule also will apply at the Club World Cup, which starts on June 14 in the United States. The 32-team lineup includes Atlético.

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IFAB is comprised of FIFA plus the four British soccer federations. Rules can be changed with six of the eight votes, which are distributed by four to FIFA and one each to the British.

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