Deep into stoppage-time time during a quarter-final clash with Real Madrid on Wednesday, the 30-year-old was adjudged to have pushed Lucas Vazquez to the turf inside the box.
Oliver pointed to the spot, Gianluigi Buffon was sent off for dissent in what could be his last appearance among the European elite and all hell broke loose on the touchline and in the stands.
Benatia maintains that he did nothing wrong – having presented Cristiano Ronaldo with the opportunity to edge Real through 4-3 on aggregate after an epic two-legged contest – and has slammed those responsible for what he considers to be a sporting miscarriage of justice.
“I’ve seen it in the match, I’ve seen it on the TV, you can’t whistle for a foul on this kind of action,” Benatia fumed to beIN Sports France.
“When you put in that much effort, against a great team like this, you can’t have a referee whistling for a penalty like that in the 93rd-minute, because honestly this is a game which should have ended in extra-time.
“I’m proud of my team, but I’m more and more disgusted by the world of football.
“What I say might seem harsh, but when you make an effort like that you can’t afford to have the referee give a penalty kick in the 93rd minute and crush the hopes of the people. There’s some work behind all that.
“If I’d made a clear foul I’d have said it honestly: ‘I touched him, but otherwise he’d have scored into an empty goal’. But that’s not the case!
“I did everything I could not to touch him, but at the end of the day football is still a contact sport. So it’s possible my right thigh touched him, but I didn’t shove him or anything.
“There it is, it’s bad, it’s bad. We’re disgusted, but that’s life, that’s football.”
