The referee correctly awarded a penalty to Real Madrid that knocked Juve out of the Champions League
Michael Oliver’s wife is still receiving death threats and abuse from Juventus fans. Her husband refereed the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final between Real Madrid and Juventus.
In the match Juve overturned a 3-0 deficit, scoring three of their own unanswered goals, only for Oliver to award Real Madrid an injury time penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo hammered it into the top corner, destroyed the Italian giants’ trophy hopes and likely prevented Juve’s veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon from ever earning a winner’s medal.
At 40 years old Buffon may never play in the Champions League again and, when Oliver gave the penalty, went chicken oriental. He shoved Oliver, screamed “bastard” into his face, from a matter of inches away, and received a red card for his protests.
But it was in a post-match interview that Buffon was most emotional, calling out Oliver and his wife.
He said: “The team gave its all but a human being cannot destroy dreams like that at the end of an extraordinary comeback on a dubious situation. If you want to be that protagonist, sit in the ground with your wife.
“The referee has a trash can where his heart should be.”
Buffon (LITERALLY!): “That decision means that ref Oliver doesn’t understand a fuck”
— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) April 11, 2018
Ever since, Michael Oliver’s wife, Lucy, has been receiving a torrent of death threats and abuse.
If Buffon does not play in European competition again UEFA cannot sanction him for his remarks, but it might be time for an apology.
