UEFA probe into Ramos
leg against Liverpool, Bayern Munich or Roma in less than two weeks’ time.
UEFA were last night still processing the officials’ reports from the match but there is a clear precedent as Xabi Alonso was found to be in breach of Article 15 – Misconduct of Players and Officials, section (vii), which says players cannot participate in a match for which they are ineligible.
Alonso simply jumped over a barrier to celebrate a Gareth Bale goal in the 2014 Champions League final but was forced to sit out the first fixture of the 2015 campaign.
Arguments continued to rage all over Europe yesterday over whether English official Michael Oliver had been right to give the penalty after Real Madrid forward Lucas Vazquez was brought down in stoppage time by Medhi Benatia.
Veteran Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon claimed Oliver “has a rubbish bin instead of a heart”, but former Premier League referee Peter Walton said: “He made the biggest decision of his professional life correctly, can be proud of his bravery, and he will no doubt make a few more in what promises to be a long and rewarding career.”
Much of the analysis focused on whether VAR would have affected the outcome.
Unlike FIFA, who are railroading their World Cup competition into a massive high-visibility experiment with new technology, UEFA are more cautious and have already indicated next season’s Champions League will again be contested without the use of TV replays.
That same decision is in front of the 20 Premier League clubs in their meeting today, with two new approaches being put up for vote.
The complete introduction of VAR could be voted in or, alternatively, the clubs may opt for an alternative arrangement of conducting a full season-long trial behind the scenes with all but the actual link to the match referee in place.
To change the current situation, where there is only the goal-line referral system, would take 14 of the clubs to vote in favour.
Liverpool’s focus will understandably be on their semi-final fate after following up their surprise 3-0 win against Manchester City at Anfield last week with a 2-1 victory in the return leg on Tuesday.
Their driving force at the moment is undoubtedly Mohamed Salah, and today’s draw could put the play, who cost £38million, up against his old club Roma, who came back from three goals down against Barcelona on the same night as Liverpool won – a feat that took manager Jurgen Klopp by surprise.
“I walked up the stairs and somebody told me Roma had gone through,” Klopp revealed. “I really thought it was a joke. Not that I don’t respect Roma, the absolute opposite. They have a fantastic team. They lost Mo Salah and they are in the semis, that’s a big thing.”
The big concerns, though, for Liverpool’s first European semi-final since 2010 have to be the twin giants of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich – the latter having beaten Klopp’s Dortmund side in the 2013 final at Wembley.
“I don’t care who is in,” the German said. “We are here and we deserved it, and I am really happy about that.
“So far, we fought for each opportunity to get it, and then to use it is so hard. But that’s what we will do.
“It’s obviously a while ago that Liverpool were in the semis. It was a while ago that I was in the semis.
“Now we are there together, so that’s quite a cool moment and I’m really happy about it.
“The other teams will have their targets as well when we meet them in the semis; they are not without ambitions.”