Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon insisted in a recent interview that he had no regrets about his outburst against English referee Michael Oliver during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals second leg against defending champions Real Madrid.
The Juventus captain Buffon lost his cool during the crucial match for the team after the defending champions were awarded a penalty during injury-time. Buffon later came under fire for calling the official ‘a bag of rubbish for a heart’ in the post-match conference.
In an interview to Italian television programme ‘Le Iene’, Buffon said, “I’d say them all again. Maybe with a different type of language, one that was more civilised, let’s say. But the content remains and I stand by all of it.”
Buffon said that sometimes in order to defend your team, you have to let out what you feel, even if it damages your reputation. “I have to defend my teammates and fans, even in a not very composed fashion. I had to let that out, even if it damaged my reputation. You find a way to speak, right or wrong, that at times can seem excessive, but this is me, I am Gigi Buffon,” he said, calling himself a man who does not hide behind a veil of hypocrisy.
Talking about the referee’s decision, Buffon said, “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. I’m sure Oliver will have a great career in future, but he’s too young to officiate a match like that.”
Juventus made a wonderful comeback in the second leg after trailing the Spanish champions 3-0. They levelled the game 3-3 on aggregate till the last minute controversial penalty awarded to Real Madrid which was taken and converted by Cristiano Ronaldo, sending them to the semifinals. Real Madrid will face Bayern Munich in the semifinals while Liverpool face Roma in the other semifinal.
