The round of 16 of the Coupe de France between OM and Lille (1-1, 3 tab to 4) concluded in a tense atmosphere Tuesday evening at the Vélodrome. A video shot from the stands shows Olivier Létang, the president of Losc, coming to manfully grab the fourth referee when Luis Henrique equalized at the end of added time.
Electricity in the air. The 16th final of the Coupe de France between OM and Lille ended in a tense atmosphere Tuesday evening at the Vélodrome. After snatching the equalizer at the end of added time thanks to Luis Henrique, the Marseillais were knocked out on penalties in front of their home crowd (1-1, 3 tab to 5). But friction took place on the pitch before the decisive session.
A video shot from the stands by a Marseille supporter, present behind the benches, shows Olivier Létang particularly upset at the time of Luis Henrique's goal. While the Brazilian winger comes to celebrate with his partners, the president of Losc quickly gets up and comes to address the fourth referee by pulling his arm in a manly manner. Behavior which was not punished at the time.
Roberto De Zerbi, the OM coach, denounced Olivier Létang's attitude in the post-match conference. “You have to explain to me why the president of Lille comes to speak with the fourth referee on the pitch. Explain to me why, for the second time in a row, the president of Lille begins to speak with the fourth referee at home during a match . It could be the President of the Republic, if he has to stay in the stands, he must stay in the stands. If no one tells him, I didn't see Pabo Longoria talking to the fourth referee. this is the second time, because it also happened in the championship.”
“What I just experienced is serious”, Benatia’s incomprehension
Unlike Olivier Létang, Medhi Benatia was excluded by Clément Turpin, the referee of the match, in the middle of the crowd which preceded the penalties. And the OM football director came to complain about it on beIN Sports as soon as the match ended. Expressing his incomprehension: “This evening, what I have just experienced is serious. We score, I go to see the fourth referee (Jérémy Stinat) to tell him that there was a penalty (on Rowe). By the way , I remove my coach who is arguing with Olivier Létang There are a lot of people at that time, around fifteen people arrive from 50m away, he comes there and. 'bam' red! I come back to see the fourth referee who tells me that I threatened him with my finger.”
“The fourth referee said to me ‘you threatened me with your finger’. Is that a red card?” Benatia continued. “There is no VAR but there is a foul. There is no VAR, I understand that. I simply said at the time of Luis Henrique's goal: 'tell him now that it is There was no penalty. And he told me that I threatened him with my finger, I don't have the right to speak… Why don't I have the right to speak? there are 25 people around and me when I speaks, Mr. Turpin goes 50m and puts me in red? What's different about me from the others? I don't have the right to defend my team.”
