Following Juventus’ Champions League exit, Bianconeri President Andrea Agnelli has demanded VAR be used in the European game after a controversial penalty lead to their elimination.
In the final minute of the game at the Estadio Bernabeu, Mehdi Benatia appeared to foul Lucas Vazquez and referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot, much to Gianluigi Buffon’s ire as he was subsequently sent off for his protestations.
“At the end of a night like this it’s important to stay calm and analyse the situation in the correct manner,” Agnelli told Mediaset Premium.
“Many football associations have already implemented VAR, and given that we have the technology, we have to use it as soon as possible and the right training must be given to referees.
“Because incidents like tonight’s determine not only the result of a match, but also the outcome of a tie and we probably deserved to qualify tonight.
“As I’ve said before, we have the technology to avoid these mistakes and I’m sure that the referee tonight will be the most disappointed person of all when he watches the footage back. However, everybody involved needs to be properly prepared on a night like this, just as we proved ourselves to be out on the pitch.
“Perhaps we should also consider changing the person in charge of appointing the referees after a certain number of years, in order to avoid incidents like those that have occurred in Europe not just involving us, but also involving AC Milan, Roma and Lazio.
“Going back to the game, we do have the performance the players put in and the awareness that it’s different in Europe. You can win any game, as we’ve shown tonight, as Roma did last night, and as Barcelona did last year.
“Also, I just want to add, good luck to Roma and Lazio for the rest of their European adventures. They are Italian teams and we have to hope that they keep progressing.”
