Tomasz Kwiatkowski is a well-known Polish football referee, who recently came under the spotlight after disallowing Julian Alvarez’s controversial penalty, find out more below
The goal came during a high-profile Champions League Round of 16 match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
Who is Tomasz Kwiatkowski, football VAR referee who disallowed Julian Alvarez’s goal for double touch against Real Madrid in the Champions League and penalty rule explained
Álvarez's penalty is overturned by VAR after a double touch 😳
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Kwiatkowski has had a successful career spanning across domestic and international competitions.
Tomasz Kwiatkowski disallows Julian Alvarez’s goal
Tomasz Kwiatkowski recently went viral after disallowing a penalty scored by Atletico forward Julian Alvarez during their match against Real Madrid. The decision notably came during a high-stakes match in the Champions League, which sparked further debate among fans and analysts. Kwiatkowski was serving as the VAR official during the match and responsible for ruling out Alvarez’s goal.
According to the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which determines the laws of football, there can be only one touch during the penalty kick and Article 14.1 of the IFAB states: “The kicker must not play the ball again until it has touched another player.”
The same law prevents scoring on a rebound if the ball hits the woodwork and if such an incident happened during a spot kick during regular play, an indirect free-kick would have been awarded to the opposition which is why Tomasz ruled out Alvarez’s penalty.
Clearer video of Julian Alvarez touching the ball twice. pic.twitter.com/JKO5QfUzzL
— Mikael (@MikaelMadridsta) March 12, 2025
Tomasz Kwiatkowski bio
Tomasz Kwiatkowski is a prominent Polish referee who was born on February 25, 1978. He is currently affiliated with the Masovian Football Association. Throughout his career, he has built a strong reputation for his involvement in key matches across domestic and global competitions. He most recently served as a VAR in the Champions League Round of 16 match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. His entire career stats can be found here.
Age
Tomasz Kwiatkowski is currently 47 years old.
Education
Kwiatkowski graduated from the Józef Piłsudski University with a degree in physical education in Warsaw.
Veo difícil hacer mejor tu trabajo que Tomasz Kwiatkowski pic.twitter.com/PXyWuo6n6s
— Ø (@TengoOtraCosa) March 13, 2025
Career and achievements
Tomasz Kwiatkowski started out his career as a referee in Poland’s top-flight league, the Ekstraklasa, in 2014. He has gained an expertise in Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology and served as a VAR referee in major tournaments such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, the 2022/2023 UEFA Champions League, and the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup.
Following his contributions to the sport, Kwiatkowski notably received the Super Achievement of the Year award. He won it at the 88th Przegląd Sportowy Plebiscite for his role in officiating the 2022 World Cup final. Kwiatkowski also officiated the May 2, 2024 Polish Cup final between Pogoń Szczecin and Wisła Kraków.