Retired FIFA referee Thomas Nunoo has hailed Michael Oliver’s decision in awarding Real Madrid a last-gasp penalty against Juventus in the second leg of UEFA Champions League quarter finals on Wednesday night.
The Bianconeri had fought back from losing the first leg 3-0 to level the scores before the controversial penalty, which Cristiano Ronaldo dispatched.
There was fierce discourse among the Ghanaian football populace on Wednesday night in the wake of English Michael Oliver’s decision to award Real Madrid a late ‘controversial’ spot kick after he adjudged Mehdi Benatia to have fouled Lucas Vazquez in added time.
Oliver also showed Gianluigi Buffon a red card for his protests, with the Juventus skipper branding the Premier League official a “murderer and animal” for his decision.
However, speaking to Ohene Bampoe-Brenya on Happy FM‘s Anopa Bosuo Sports, Ghanaian retired FIFA referee, Thomas Nunoo insists Oliver got the penalty decision spot on but failed to get the other call right – insisting the referee should have given the Moroccan international his marching orders for preventing a clear cut goal scoring opportunity.
“Honestly yesterday I did not watch the match but I had the opportunity of watching video footage afterwards due to the noise people were making in town, and I can confidently say that he the decision right,” Nunoo told Happy FM.
“The laws of the game states that when you prevent a clear goal scoring chance you ought to expelled from the game and that’s the problem I had with referee. He should have flashed a red card to the player [Benatia] after awarding the penalty because clearly he didn’t touch the ball.
“The argument here is that, had he [Benatia] touched the ball, the referee wouldn’t have given the penalty, he will judge it as a clearance, but replays showed that he missed the ball completely and instead hit the Madrid player’s chest, so I’ll say it’s a right call by the referee.”
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