In its debrief of the 16th day of Ligue 1, the French Football Federation publicly rejected the decision of François Letexier and his assistants not to exclude Wilfried Singo after his very big sole on the face of Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The best referee in the world did not make the best decision. In any case, this is what the French Football Federation says. The highest authority in French football delivered in its weekly debrief its judgment on the arbitration decision of François Letexier – and his assistants – which caused a stir during the 16th day of Ligue 1. During the meeting between Paris Saint-Germain and AS Monaco, contested in advance to make way for the Champions Trophy upon returning from vacation, Wilfried Singo was guilty of a very dangerous gesture on Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had to leaving the lawn with a half-scratched face. The match referee did not see fit to issue a red card, a decision criticized by the FFF.
Letexier dismissed, the FFF shows its fangs
A quarter of an hour into the game, having already received a first yellow card, Wilfried Singo luckily escaped being sent off after his dangerous gesture. For the FFF, François Letexier should have shown the red card based on the VAR images. “ Analyzing the images, the attacker certainly plays the ball, but his action endangers the physical integrity of the goalkeeper, given the sole directly impacting the latter's face (…). The intervention of the video assistance was expected to modify the initial decision and exclude the offending player », Explained the Technical Directorate of Arbitration.
During the meeting, Jérôme Brisard, VAR referee, did not invite François Letexier to come and watch the images. “ I won't send you. There is no extra movement, he wants to avoid it, he jumps over it. Unfortunately, he hits it. The consequences are enormous, but there is nothing we can do », Explains the assistant to the central referee. The case is now closed: Paris Saint-Germain won this famous meeting (2-4), then repeated after the break by winning the Champions Trophy.
