Allegri: 'Buffon an example for 20 years'

By Football Italia staff

Juventus Coach Max Allegri defended captain Gigi Buffon for his furious rant at referee Michael Oliver. “I challenge anyone not to react in that situation.”

The goalkeeper was sent off for dissent in the Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid, as the referee awarded a debatable penalty with 30 seconds to go.

“It’s always easy to judge from the outside. With regards to Buffon, Gigi has been an example for 20 years of what a man should be both on and off the pitch,” Allegri said in today’s Press conference.

“If just once, in one difficult and complicated situation, because we were 30 seconds away from extra time – and we’re not saying we would’ve qualified, just had the chance to play extra time – the referee made this decision.

“I don’t know if it was correct or not, I don’t care, but Buffon was also sent off and therefore denied the opportunity to save the Cristiano Ronaldo penalty… Gigi’s reaction is to be understood.

“I think sitting from home without tension, not taking into account the psychological situation Buffon was going through, isn’t really fair. I challenge anyone in the world to not react in that situation.

“You need to be calm when everything has cooled off, but when you are in the middle of that situation, I challenge anyone to not lose their temper. Those who aren't capable of understanding Gigi's state of mind at that moment need a course in psychology, otherwise I can't help them.

“The referee had a very good game for 90 minutes, he really did. He then slightly lost his way at the end, like when you pull up a Monopoly card with an unpredictable twist, but these things can happen.

“I will just say that his error was also in awarding stoppages, because there were four minutes awarded, only one stop for substitutions and the doctors never made it on to the pitch, so there was no need for all that stoppage time.

“After three days in which everyone, and I mean everyone, talked about it, we have to set Madrid aside and focus on Sampdoria. We can’t change anything about it, nothing at all. The fans and players would’ve deserved to see another 30 minutes, but it doesn’t matter now.

“We’ve got Napoli breathing down our necks, so we have to keep pushing and find some more psychological energy. This is an objective that cannot be repeated, a seventh consecutive Scudetto. We absolutely must not let that slip.

“We need everyone tomorrow, from those on the pitch to the fans in the stadium.”

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