Olivier Létang castigated the attitude of Roberto De Zerbi on the sidelines of Lille's qualification against Olympique de Marseille (1-1, 4 tab to 3) this Tuesday during the round of 16 of the Coupe de France. The president of the Dogues reproached the words of the Marseille coach during the tense moment at the edge of the Vélodrome pitch after the final whistle.
After the draw in Ligue 1, Lille again obtained a good result this Tuesday, January 14 at the Vélodrome against OM. Despite Luis Henrique's equalizer in the final moments of regulation time, the Mastiffs qualified after a well-controlled penalty shootout (1-1, 4 tab to 3). Above all, Lille managed to keep their calm despite the tense moment at the edge of the pitch after the final whistle.
>> Relive the OM-Lille clash (1-1, 3 tab to 4)
A moment when Olivier Létang played his role as president and spoke with the fourth referee, Jérémy Stinat. And unlike Medhi Benatia, expelled for threatening behavior towards the official (despite his strong denial and incomprehension), the northern president escaped any sanction. Criticized by Roberto De Zerbi, furious after the intervention of the leader of Lille near his technical area, Olivier Létang responded strongly to the press.
“That doesn’t interest me.”
Coming to present himself in the mixed zone, as he regularly does after his team's matches, Olivier Létang sent a big dig to the coach of the Marseille club. If Roberto De Zerbi estimated at a press conference that the Lille president had nothing to do on the pitch, and that even the President of the Republic would have remained in the stands, the LOSC boss responded.
“That doesn't interest me, that. I didn't speak to him, I didn't speak to him,” said the former manager of Stade Rennais and Paris Saint-Germain. “So, let him do his job as a coach and then everything will be fine. That’s it… I haven’t spoken to him so I can’t tell you anything.”
Létang doesn't understand why De Zerbi came to talk to him
Major player in the duel won by LOSC against OM (1-1, 4 tab to 3) this Tuesday in the Coupe de France, Clément Turpin was the subject of some criticism after (logically) refusing three goals. But not from the leaders of the two clubs.
But it was above all the referee's decision to send off Medhi Benatia before the penalty shootout that got people talking. For his part, Olivier Létang escaped any sanction. The Lille president even explained the content of his exchange with the fourth referee.
“I simply mentioned the fact that the referee had played 25 seconds more, in addition to added time. And so, it ended very well with Mr. Stinat,” assured the leader of Lille. “So I don’t see why the Olympique de Marseille coach came to talk to me because I wasn’t speaking to him at all.”
Jean-Guy Lebreton with BFM Marseille
