Alessandro Del Piero Defends Michael Oliver After Gianluigi Buffon Criticism
APRIL 12, 2018
Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero has backed referee Michael Oliver after the official was fiercely criticised by his former team-mate Gianluigi Buffon on Wednesday.
Buffon was red-carded for his protests towards the referee
as Oliver awarded Los Blancos a late penalty during Juve's quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo scored from the spot to send Madrid through to the semi-finals 4-3 on aggregate.
While plenty associated with the Bianconeri were left fuming at the decision, speaking to Sky Sport, Del Piero said he felt as though the goalkeeper had been harsh on Oliver (h/t Calciomercato.com ).
"When Gigi spoke about the referee, I couldn't understand him, honestly," the former Juventus captain said. "I don't understand why he talked about the previous fixture. In football, you analyse the present. I understand that it's a frustrating situation but I think that he will think about what I said and possibly say different words in a few days."
Claudio Villa/Getty Images
Buffon was angered on the pitch and carried his frustration into a number of post-match media commitments.
As journalist Rik Sharma relayed, the goalkeeper didn't sugarcoat his feelings:
The emotion from Juve and Buffon—in what was potentially his last European game for the club—was natural on a night when the team came so close to recording one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history.
In the first leg in Turin, Real Madrid were the superior side, as they won 3-0. Juventus weren't deterred at the Santiago Bernabeu, though, and a brace from Mario Mandzukic and another goal from Blaise Matuidi saw them level the tie.
Buffon was furious at Oliver's officiating. Etsuo Hara/Getty Images
Yet there was still one dramatic moment to come, as Medhi Benatia was deemed to have bundled over Lucas Vazquez in the area. Aside from those associated with the Italian champions, the consensus has been that the referee made the right call.
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton thinks Buffon's popularity has clouded some people's judgment of the incident:
Meanwhile, The Set Pieces' Jonny Sharples joked about the goalkeeper's post-match fury:
The objectivity of Del Piero, who spent 19 years playing for Juventus, in this situation is refreshing amid some sensationalist reviews of the game. As Sport Witness relayed, Catalan newspaper Sport said the decision represented the "robbery of the century."
For Buffon, the chance of adding the Champions League to his remarkable haul of trophies seems to be gone, as the 40-year-old is poised to retire at the end of the campaign.
The Italian icon has played in three finals during his Juventus career, with the team failing to win any of the games. Last season, it was Ronaldo and Madrid who broke his heart again, as the Italian side were humbled 4-1 in Cardiff.