OLIVER’S DEATH THREATS
FA CUP final referee Michael Oliver’s wife Lucy has revealed the couple received death threats after he sent off Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon.
She was forced to call the police the night Oliver awarded Real Madrid a last-minute penalty in their Champions League quarter-final win over Buffon’s Juventus before dismissing the veteran goalkeeper.
Buffon slated him after the incident in March but has since apologised for his comments.
Following the game, Lucy’s phone number was posted on social media leading to threatening text messages, while abusive comments were made online.
Speaking about the controversy for the first time on the eve of Oliver’s big day, Lucy, 28, said: “With that Juventus game, I was watching it on television at home.
“Then someone came to my house and shouted through the letterbox, ‘Your husband is a c**t’.
“I was in the house on my own, I could see those tweets, then I heard that. I was crying my eyes out and had to call the police.
“During the next four or five days I was never on my own, it was a mixture of the police always being there or a member of Michael’s family.
“And the Premier League were unbelievable, absolutely fantastic. Everyone was so supportive and, thankfully, that was the only person who came round to our house.”
College lecturer Lucy, also a qualified ref, and Oliver met on a refereeing course and were wed in 2015.
Lucy says watching him take charge of today’s Wembley showpiece will ease the pain of her trolling.
She added: “This match is testament to the hard work, dedication and commitment Michael puts into his career. He deserves it so much.”