‘He Has A Garbage Bin For A Heart’ – Gianluigi Buffon Lambasts Referee Michael Oliver For Ending Champions League Dream By Applying Laws Of Football

Chris Wright

12th, April 2018

6 Comments

Embed from Getty Images

As you may be aware, Juventus saw their Champions League voyage brought to a shuddering halt in the most dramatic of circumstances on a fateful Wednesday evening at the Bernabeu.

After losing 3-0 to Real Madrid at home in the first tie, Juve fought their way back to parity on enemy soil in a thrilling second leg – only to see it all dashed by a 93rd-minute penalty call.

Referee Michael Oliver upset the Old Lady’s apple cart by signalling for the spot-kick when Mehdi Benatia nudged Lucas Vasquez to the ground in front of goal, before sending Gianluigi Buffon off for his inflamed reaction.

Embed from Getty Images

While Buffon stopped short of physically assaulting Oliver, the riled goalkeeper let loose a barrage of finger-prodding rhetoric as the Juve players swarmed the referee in protest.

Ultimately, on what is likely to be his last ever appearance in the competition, the 40-year-old’s (understandable) failure to reign in his ire saw his Champions League career end with a straight red card.

After the final whistle, Buffon’s carefully-curated ‘elder statesman’ aura was allowed to slip further as the irate Juve captain embarked upon a sensational rant in which he branded Oliver a “garbage can” of a referee.

It was a tenth of a penalty. I know the referee saw what he saw, but it was certainly a dubious incident. Not clear-cut. And a dubious incident at the 93rd minute when we had a clear penalty denied in the first leg, you cannot award that at this point.

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.

Clearly you cannot have a heart in your chest, but a garbage 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 chips.

You cannot ruin the dreams of a team.

While it’s clear he probably shouldn’t have done what he did, Pies can hardly admonish a man caught up in the most extreme of sporting maelstroms. Oliver arguably made the right call(s); Buffon’s reaction was merely human – that’s about the length and breadth of it.

Thankfully, the veteran stopper had calmed down sufficiently by the time he bumped into Cristiano Ronaldo in the mixed zone after final whistle, with the pair sharing a tender hug…

And all is well in the world again.

Posted in Champions League, Real Madrid

Share this article: Email

6 Comments

  1. VAR says:

    That’s a weak ass penalty decision

  2. VieuxSang says:

    The unfortunate effect of participating in the Champions League, with the cast-off, space cadet officials…someone call the cops, Juve were robbed. Was that guy selling knockoff Nikes in a Turkish market before the game? That call was erroneous. Remember those calls and tender CR7 flopping over on the pitch, eyeing the ref like a bride on the honeymoon. It’s enough to make a man contemplate watching antiques roadshow. When will the game bring brutal sincerity to officiating? Is there a place for ferocious players, or is the new age of deceit/sleight of hand?

  3. Rob says:

    If that’s foul then every challenge is a foul. But are Juventus seriously saying that their players wouldn’t have taken a fall for a penalty? Just because they made that amazing comeback doesn’t mean that the ref should let them off

  4. Haag says:

    It’s a clear penalty, simple as that, period.

    I think a player should not be sent off for exposing his feelings to the ref and I understand Buffon on that matter but football today is a bit different and by today standards the referee was right to sent him off. I wish we were in the 90s when players could shout at the referee and get a yellow or nothing at all but today that is a sent off, easy.

Leave a Reply to Rob