Paris Saint-Germain made short work of Olympique de Marseille at the end of a Classic far from the expected heights (0-3). If Parisian superiority cannot be called into question this Sunday, the match seems to have changed in the 20th minute, when Mr. Letexier showed a red card against Marseillais Amine Harit. After the meeting, the native of Bédée (Ille-et-Vilaine) came to explain his decision at the microphone of DAZN.
The traces of Harit's crampons on Marquinhos' torso
“First, I see Amine Harit arriving with his leg outstretched towards his opponent’s torso (Marquihnos), explains the referee of the last Euro final. From the start, I have the feeling that this gesture endangers the physical integrity of his opponent. Very quickly, Marquinhos takes off his t-shirt and I clearly see the mark of the crampons at his sternum. It is these two elements, what I perceived at real speed as well as the consequence of this gesture, which push me to exclude Amine Harit”.
Asked about the role or not of video assistance in refereeing on his decision, François Letexier was very clear, recalling that VAR intervenes in every important decision, whether it is a penalty or a red card. . “Video assistance does not consider my decision to be a clear error. On the contrary, they confirmed to me that there was real contact of the sole at the level of the torso, at an angle which, moreover, was not broadcast on television..
“Hard to believe that the physical integrity of the player is not affected”
Obviously, and the French referee knows it, his decision has serious consequences for the rest of this Classic, which PSG dominated, all the same, already outrageously. But he reminds us, his job is to protect the physical integrity of those involved in the meeting. “I have no doubt that my decision will have an impact on the progress of the meetinghe admits. Afterwards, if I have to make a strong and courageous decision from the 20e minute of a match, I have to do it. Given the location of the impact and the marks on the player's sternum, I find it hard to believe that the opponent's integrity has not been compromised.”.
Finally, François Letexier spoke about his personal feelings about this action. “ I have both the feeling of having taken my responsibilities and of having done my job as a refereeassures the 35-year-old man. At the same time, I know that this decision has major consequences and has an impact on the show, I am fully aware of that. This is obviously not what we are looking for. I'm sorry for those who were disappointed but I think I was technically correct”.
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In a one-sided Classic, Paris Saint-Germain won 0-3 on the Stade Vélodrome pitch thanks to goals from Joao Neves (7e), Balerdi against his camp (29e) and Bradley Barcola (40e). Thanks to this success and the defeat of Monaco in Nice (2-1), PSG takes sole lead in Ligue 1.