OLIVER SHOWED GUTS TO MAKE CORRECT CALL

ENGLAND’S Michael Oliver, who was only promoted to the elite group of officials in January, justified that decision with some very strong but correct refereeing in the Bernabeu. With the scores level in a gripping quarter-final that was heading for extra time, Oliver rightly and courageously awarded a penalty which, once it was finally converted by Cristiano Ronaldo, took Real Madrid through to the semi-finals. But Oliver didn’t stop there. Surrounded and disgracefully harassed by half a dozen or so menacing Juventus players, led by their talismanic captain, Gianluigi Buffon, Oliver stayed calm and correctly dismissed the goalkeeper for his aggressive protests. Arsene Wenger once told me I was talking rubbish when I said a referee needed courage to give big decisions. After watching this he will understand. What a pity the FA didn’t promote Oliver sooner, so he could have been eligible for the World Cup.