Gianluigi Buffon Refuses to Back Down From Michael Oliver Comments as Referee Receives Death Threats

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has claimed that he would make the same comments to referee Michael Oliver again, after the English referee gave Real Madrid a last minute penalty to deny Juventus a famous comeback in the Champions League quarter-final.

Oliver was subjected to a tirade of abuse from the Italian legend following his controversial decision, with Buffon afterwards claiming the referee had a 'bag of rubbish for a heart'. Discussing his now infamous comments, via BBC Sport, the veteran keeper said: "The content remains and I stand by all of it, I'd say them all again - maybe with a different type of language.

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

Oliver's decision allowed Los Blancos talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to power home a penalty to rescue his side, seeing them progress to the semi-final, where they will face Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, Juventus boss Maxi Allegri is rumoured to have begun taking English lessons, in preparation for replacing Antonio Conte as Chelsea's manager at the end of the season. Allegri was Conte's replacement when he left Juve for the Blues in 2016, and could now perform the same feat by succeeding his fellow countryman at Stamford Bridge.