Expelled after OM's equalizer, football director Medhi Benatia launched a new rant against the refereeing following Marseille's elimination against Lille on Tuesday at the Vélodrome.
Expelled by the referee of the match Clément Turpin after the equalizing goal of Luis Henrique (90th + 6) against Lille (1-1, 3-4 tab) this Tuesday in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France, the sports director of OM Medhi Benatia expressed her anger and incomprehension at the microphone of beIN Sports.
“We had a great match, there is something to be proud of in terms of the performance and the content shown. We conceded a goal against the flow of the match, we had the courage and desire to come back with a superb goal, and then on penalties it was a lottery that did not favor us. But I'm not here to talk about that.” quickly warned Benatia, suspended for three matches (and three suspended) last fall following an outburst in the corridors of Groupama Stadium, in Lyon, in Ligue 1.
“Something happened that I need to tell you. You know me, you know that if I come right away it's not for nothing. I have a favor to ask you, find me the images of the incident. What I just experienced this evening is very serious.” Questioned by journalists, the former Juve player recontextualizes: “We score, I go to see the fourth referee to ask him to tell the referee that there was a penalty (5 minutes earlier), in the process I push my coach who is arguing with Olivier Letang. Mr. Turpin comes from 50 meters away, he doesn't know what's happening and he gives me a red card. The fourth referee told me that I threatened him with my finger.
Also read
“If no one tells him that he must stay in the stands, I say it”: De Zerbi reframes Lille president Létang
“I have no right to do anything”
Still annoyed, Benatia returned to old events for which he was also sanctioned: “Find me the images and you will see that I did nothing. I know that I don't have the right to speak, I understand it very well: I don't have the right to speak, I don't have the right to work, I don't have the right to do anything. In Rennes we had a penalty ruled out and we didn't say anything, anyway when we speak we aren't listened to. There are 25 people around the fourth referee and when I speak, Mr. Turpin goes 50 meters to give me a red, what's different about me from the others? There is a relentlessness against me.
France
