Olympique Lyonnais will face a N2 team next weekend in the Coupe de France, but the appointment of the referee gives OL supporters a cold sweat.
On paper, Pierre Sage’s team should be able to get by quite easily in the 32nd finals of the Coupe de France, since OL will play against Feignies-Aulnoye, currently eighth in their group in National 2. Next Saturday , in Valenciennes, Lyon will therefore largely be favored by the forecasts, even if the appointment of the referee for this meeting has put the supporters of Olympique Lyonnais on alert, and clearly annoyed. Because the French Football Federation chose Gaël Angoula to officiate during this meeting. And since a certain Le Havre-OL last season, the former footballer turned referee is not really Lyon’s darling. Indeed, in January 2024, while Pierre Sage’s team was playing for its survival in Ligue 1, Gaël Angoula had expelled two Lyon players (Jake O’Brien and Duje Caleta-Car), and had forgotten to sanction HAC players.
OL have already forgotten this controversy
The controversy was even greater as the referee was born in Le Havre, which the Lyon supporters did not forget to point out, while Lyon lost. Laurent Prud’homme himself had contacted the Technical Directorate of Arbitration to ask for explanations. And the DTA quietly justified its choice by explaining: “We assume that the referee is fundamentally honest and has integrity. In addition, they are observed and classified at the end of the season. For us there is zero subject. “. On Saturday, Olympique Lyonnais will probably have the opportunity to turn the page, almost a year after this painful experience in Normandy. It is true that this time, Gaël Angoula has no ties with Feignies-Aulnoye and that barring disaster, OL should be able to get through it.
Soccer
France
