Gianluigi Buffon won't back down over Michael Oliver comments

ByAlexander Netherton

Updated 15/04/2018 at 12:31 GMT

Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon says he won't back down over the comments he made regarding Michael Oliver following his red card and the side's Champions League defeat.

Buffon was given his marching orders for dissent after Real Madrid won a decisive injury-time penalty, and accused Oliver of having, "a bag of rubbish for a heart."

Speaking to Italian television, Buffon was far from conciliatory, saying:

"The content remains and I stand by all of it.

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"I'd say them all again - maybe with a different type of language.

"You find a way to speak, right or wrong, that at times can seem excessive - but this is me, I am Gigi Buffon."

The penalty gave Real a 4-3 win over Juventus after the away side had taken a 3-0 lead, with extra time looming.

After the match, Buffon described the decision as a, "dubious incident," and claimed on Saturday he was speaking for "my team-mates and fans, even in a not very composed fashion".

Michael Oliver

Image credit: Getty Images

He then went on to criticise Oliver further:

"I'm sure Oliver will have a great career in future, but he's too young to officiate a match like that.

"A referee with more experience would not have blown his whistle and decided not to become the protagonist of the match.

"He would have left it running, turned around and let the two teams fight it out in extra time. Let the pitch do the talking."

Juventus are four points clear of Napoli in Serie A, while Real will take on Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.

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