“He killed my match”, why Dugarry is angry with the referee despite his justifications

Christophe Dugarry castigated this Monday the referee of the Classic won by Paris Saint-Germain on the pitch of Olympique de Marseille (0-3) during the ninth day of Ligue 1. In his eyes, the red card inflicted on Amine Harit at the start of the meeting extinguished all suspense and all spectacle.

The day after the Classic and the slap suffered against PSG at the Vélodrome (0-3), OM supporters are looking for culprits. If captain Leonardo Balerdi is not exempt from all blame after his catastrophic match and Roberto De Zerbi’s choices disappointed, the referee of this clash also attracts many criticisms. Present Monday on the air of RMC in the show Rothen ignitesChristophe Dugarry criticized Mr. Letexier for the red card inflicted on Amine Harit.

“I wanted to enjoy it. I had checked off this weekend 15 days ago. I had sent the family off to say that I was having a great weekend. And now I see myself Arsenal-Liverpool where that sends , I see Real Madrid-Barcelona where it’s going and where it’s running, it’s getting punches, it’s going there you want and there I see myself this Marseille-Paris Saint Germain with this Monsieur Letexier who is normally a. very good referee and who we saw refereeing in the Euro final. This fault, in the Euro final, he never calls it”, regretted the former striker who notably played for Bordeaux and OM. “He never wears red and I don’t even know if he wears yellow.”

“This match is not refereed like any other match”

Without even going to watch the images of the clash between Marquinhos and Amine Harit, Mr. Letexier excluded the Marseille attacking midfielder. After the match, the referee appeared on DAZN’s microphone to defend his decision. But that doesn’t really convince the 1998 world champion.

“I hear his explanations and he has the right to say that he referees on the technical side and the protection of the players. But man, you are not just there for that,” continued Christophe Dugarry on RMC. “And therein lies the problem with refereeing, that’s why I appeal to Mika Landreau (sports advisor for the tactical and technical preparation of referees). The referees are not there to protect the players or else not just for that. That’s not just their role.”

Before justifying his position on the intensity to accept in this type of matches: “They will spend their time giving red cards because there are all kinds of blows and contacts, injuries, bruises and scratches. time. They are also there to bring fluidity, impact and quality to the game. It is he (the referee) who is the metronome of the match. He can explain to me what he wants. This match is not refereed like any other match.”

Dugarry criticizes the referee for having “savaged” the match

In a weekend marked by numerous shocks at the top in Europe, the Classic stood out due to the lack of intensity in the duels according to consultant RMC Sport. In his eyes, the referee is directly responsible for this lack of suspense during the duel between OM and PSG. By giving Amine Harit a red, he got carried away by the rules and did not promote the spectacle.

“You have to get it into your head that there are going to be contacts. There is a difference in level, Marseille is at home in front of 60,000 people, so there are going to be things and actions. And that’s where “you have to keep your cool and that’s where you have to demonstrate something more in your refereeing, a sensitivity,” continued Duga during his intervention on the show. Rothen ignites on RMC. “This is the difference between referees who officiate with technique and referees who officiate with sensitivity.”

And Christophe Dugarry concludes his criticism of the Classic refereeing: “That’s why I blame him for something because, sorry for the expression, he killed my match. He killed my match! I I didn’t want to see the match anymore because he killed it for me! And imagine the broadcaster paying 500 million euros. I see Labrune in the stands with the presidents, 500 million euros… And the match. most importantly, the one that should be the showcase, the guy ruined it for you for a foul where it’s bordering on yellow. You shouldn’t… He killed the match for you!”