Abuse sent to Michael Oliver and his wife following the referee’s controversial penalty decision in the Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Juventus has been strongly condemned by UEFA.
Having lost the first leg of their quarter-final contest 3-0 at home, Juve were on the verge of forcing extra-time at the Santiago Bernabeu as they led by the same scoreline heading into stoppage time.
But then Oliver penalised Medhi Benatia for bundling Lucas Vazquez over from behind in the area and subsequently sent off Gianluigi Buffon for his reaction, which involved him putting his hands on the referee.
A UEFA spokesperson said: “UEFA strongly condemns the abuse directed at Michael Oliver and his wife.
“We have been in contact with them to offer our support and we trust the relevant authorities to take action against those individuals who have behaved inappropriately both on and off social media.”
