Gianluigi Buffon Charged By UEFA Following Michael Oliver Comments After UCL Bust Up
Gianluigi Buffon has been charged by UEFA for his comments towards referee Michael Oliver following Juventus' Champions League quarter-final aggregate defeat to Real Madrid last month, the governing body announced on Friday.
The 40-year-old was left incensed by the English referee's decision to award Los Blancos a penalty in the dying moments of the tie's second-leg, which was subsequently scored by Cristiano Ronaldo to send the Spanish capital side through to the semi-finals.
Despite not being directly involved in the foul on Lucas Vazquez, the former Italy international was dismissed by the 33-year-old Premier League official for his abusive reaction; which saw the shot-stopper furiously yelling and grabbing the referee in protest.
The red card would mean that should Buffon return to Juventus next season, amid claims this could be his last, he would be banned for the Serie A outfit's opening three Champions League clashes.
However, UEFA have now revealed that the goalkeeper will face further punishment from the governing body by stating, via their official website, that disciplinary proceedings have been opened against the custodian for his "general principles of conduct", and that any retrospective action will be discussed at the end of the month.
"This case will be dealt with by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body on 31 May," the statement read.
Alongside the announcement regarding Buffon, UEFA also confirmed that Diego Simeone's four-match ban after being sent to the stands in Atletico Madrid's Europa League semi-final first leg against Arsenal has been upheld, despite an appeal from Los Rojiblancos.
Due to the Argentine being absent in the second leg against the Gunners, he will be unable to feature on the touchline for a further three European matches, meaning the 48-year-old will be absent during his side's final clash with Marseille later this month.
