London – British police are reportedly investigating threats made against Michael Oliver's wife after the referee's controversial penalty decision helped Real Madrid send Juventus crashing out of the Champions League.
Oliver, who also referees in the Premier League, awarded a stoppage-time penalty to Real after Mehdi Benatia was ruled to have fouled Lucas Vazquez.
Juventus were furious with the decision and their veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was sent off for barging into Oliver during prolonged protests.
Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo converted the spot-kick to send the Champions League holders into the semi-finals with a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Buffon was scathing of Oliver's decision when he spoke to the media after the match, saying he had a "bag of rubbish for a heart".
The 33-year-old official's family have endured serious abuse since the incident.
BBC Sport reported on Sunday that Oliver's wife Lucy, a women's Super League referee, had her mobile phone number posted on social media after the game, which led to her receiving abusive text messages.
Police are also investigating reports of people banging on the front door of the couple's house and shouting abuse through their letterbox.
Lucy Oliver's phone number has since been deactivated, but her social media account has also been targeted by Juventus supporters.
Oliver was the fourth official for Huddersfield's win over Watford in the Premier League on Saturday and is due to take charge of West Ham against Stoke on Monday.
