UEFA charge Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon following abuse of Michael Oliver during Champions League defeat by Real Madrid
- Real Madrid dumped Juventus out of the Champions League back in April
- Juve captain Gianluigi Buffon was sent off for complaints made to Michael Oliver
- UEFA announced they have charged Buffon for his behaviour during the game
- The governing body claim the case relates to ‘general principles of conduct’
- A UEFA disciplinary panel will judge the case against Buffon on May 31
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has been charged by UEFA after aggressive behaviour towards a referee during their Champions League elimination by Real Madrid.
Real famously, and rather controversially, dumped Juventus out Europe’s elite competition back in April with a stoppage penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo to secure a 4-3 aggregate win and safe passage into the semi-finals.
The teams were heading for extra time in Madrid – with Juve leading 3-0 – when English referee Michael Oliver ruled that defender Medhi Benatia had fouled Lucas Vazquez inside the six yard area.
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon launched an attack on Michael Oliver back in April
As a result, Buffon verbally and physically confronted Oliver. He was then sent off before Ronaldo scored from the spot to send Madrid through.
UEFA says the case against Buffon relates to ‘general principles of conduct’ and his red card for confronting the referee.
In post-match interviews, the 40-year-old Italian great continued his abuse of Oliver and questioned his ability as a referee.
Oliver sent Buffon off for his furious reaction at the awarding of a Real Madrid
Buffon was furious with the original decision and chased down Oliver before confronting him
Cristiano Ronaldo’s stoppage time penalty knocked Juve out of the Champions League
‘It was a tenth of a penalty,’ Buffon, who was playing in his last-ever Champions League game, told Mediaset. ‘I know the referee saw, it was certainly a dubious incident.
‘And a dubious incident at the 93rd minute when we had a clear penalty denied (for a challenge on Juan Cuadrado) in the first leg, you cannot award that at this point.
‘The team gave their all, but a human being cannot destroy dreams like that at the end of an extraordinary comeback on a dubious situation.’
Buffon blasted Oliver after the game, comparing him to a ‘murderer’ for killing off the tie
The Italy and Juventus veteran was so enraged, he even went on to criticise Oliver’s lack of heart and compassion.
He added: ‘Clearly you cannot have a heart in your chest, but a bin. On top of that, if you don’t have the character to walk on a pitch like this in a stadium like this, you can sit in the stands with your wife, your kids, drinking your Sprite and eating crisps. You cannot ruin the dreams of a team.’
UEFA’s disciplinary panel will judge the case on May 31.
UEFA charged Buffon for his behaviour and a disciplinary panel will review the case on May 31
