Buffon was sent off for dissent by English referee Michael Oliver after he awarded Real Madrid a stoppage-time penalty which sent the Spaniards into the semi-finals. "Buffon is a great champion who I hope will go on to have a great managerial career," Nicchi told Italian radio. The Italian Referees' Association (AIA) could lose its two percent voting allocation in the Italian Football Federation's Federal Council. And AIA president Nicchi believes this could open the door to behind-the-scenes meddling like during the Calciopoli scandal that rocked Serie A and Serie B in 2006. "To undermine the independence and impartiality of our referees could mean the start of a new Calciopoli," said Nicchi.

Source: Daily Nation April 16, 2018 14:03 UTC