Former Juventus star Gianluca Vialli defends referee Michael Oliver and insists VAR wouldn’t have made any difference to the Real Madrid controversy.
The debate is still raging after the Champions League quarter-final was decided deep into stoppages by a Cristiano Ronaldo spot-kick on Wednesday night.
It was awarded for a Medhi Benatia challenge on Lucas Vazquez, with some camera angles suggesting he got the ball and others that it was a push.
Former Juventus star Gianluca Vialli defends referee Michael Oliver and insists VAR wouldn’t have made any difference to the Real Madrid controversy.
The debate is still raging after the Champions League quarter-final was decided deep into stoppages by a Cristiano Ronaldo spot-kick on Wednesday night.
It was awarded for a Medhi Benatia challenge on Lucas Vazquez, with some camera angles suggesting he got the ball and others that it was a push.
“The referee Oliver is English, I know him and I can assure you he is beyond any suspicion of wrong-doing,” Vialli told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
During the incident, Gigi Buffon was sent off for dissent, while Giorgio Chiellini was caught on camera making the ‘money’ gesture to Real Madrid players.
Oliver's wife, who is also a referee, has a Twitter account that has been bombarded by abusive comments and outright threats from angry Juventus fans over the last few days.
“It is true that football in England does not get them accustomed to certain pressure cooker situations. From what I saw, I think it’s safe to say that at that moment Oliver saw the move from a different angle – perhaps a better one – than Buffon.”
Juventus President Andrea Agnelli demanded the introduction of VAR technology in the Champions League, as it is already used in Serie A and the Bundesliga.
“Even with technology, it would’ve been impossible to judge in a way everyone would agree with on the extent of the contact between Benatia and Lucas Vazquez.
“In any case, once the footage is viewed again, it’s still the referee who makes the decision.”