“The clubs are not arbitrated in the same way depending on their status”: Jean-Noël Spitzer bitter after the defeat against Bordeaux-Bègles

Each team had its period, how do you explain it?

Yes, it's possible but, for me, the phases of domination are not at all accompanied in the same way. This is what can be frustrating. Clubs are not arbitrated in the same way depending on their status. I'm sorry to say it but it's also frustrating because all the work of the week can be thrown to the ground by this. (…) These are televised matches in the evening. The referee sees the score increasing for a team that must play for the title. It will rebalance, obviously.

Do you have any situations in mind?

There are two times, their kicking game which does not reach ten meters, they are offside and the referee does not count it. There is the ball that the referee considers in touch and it is not there. It's not just the players who made mistakes. On the first maul, (when we are) at 13, we advance very clearly. For me, there is a pretty clear advantage situation. I don't understand the refereeing at this point either.

Is this the first time you've felt this way?

No. Against Castres, we were really close to getting the offensive bonus. We were very dominant and, in the space of eleven minutes, we were penalized six times. We have this feeling that it's easy to put our heads under water because there won't be any consequences.

You have the impression of being refereed like a child.

Yes, then there are other indicators. I consider it to be much deeper than that. Name me a referee from the Great West who referees in the professional world. We've been playing for ten years, there hasn't been a young person. Until last year, we worked with a young person on the committee who I think is very good and who deserves to go higher. And today, he is blocked and this year he was banned from intervening with the Vannes club. I am very surprised by this operation. Have you ever seen a Breton referee enter the professional world? We've had a federal academy for eight or nine years. We have always had young referees. None have entered the professional world.

What interest would they have in refusing the Breton referees?

There is a lot of togetherness in the world of rugby.

However, the arrival of Vannes in the Top 14 was rather well received.

Mediatically yes, but there is a difference between being considered and being respected.