The match between Olympique de Marseille and LOSC in 16es of the Coupe de France final (1-1, 3-4 TAB) kept all its promises: goals, suspense, an equalizer in the very last minutes and a heroic performance from the second northern goalkeeper Vito Mannone, who disgusted opposing attackers before repelling two attempts during the penalty shootout. The charm of the Coupe de France, all in all. But the party was spoiled by two men: Medhi Benatia and Olivier Létang.
The light belongs to the players
During the Olympian equalizer in the final seconds of the match, the president of LOSC seemed to be the first to enter the scene. Exasperated, https://twitter.com/Be_OM13/status/1879311710298792166 on Luis Henrique’s beautiful goal. A detestable attitude singled out in the post-match press conference by Roberto De Zerbi: « Explain to me why the president of Lille (Olivier Létang) goes down to the pitch to speak with the fourth referee, for the second time here, because he did it in L1? The President of the Republic could do it, but the president of a club? His place is in the stands, and if no one says something to him, I’ll tell him, said the OM coach. In 30 years of football, I had never seen a club president come down to speak with representatives of the refereeing body. » In reaction to these clear remarks, the former president of Stade Rennes kicked in: “That doesn’t interest me, I haven’t spoken to him, haven’t spoken to him, for him to do his job as a coach. » Quite cheeky and laughable from a person who constantly squats on the edge of the field, where he inflames people’s minds more than anything else, when that’s simply not his place.
But the president of the northern club, who was strangely not sanctioned for this gesture, is not the only one to regularly exceed his duties. Already suspended three meetings by the LFP disciplinary committee last September for having yelled in the corridors of Parc OL during the break to contest the early expulsion of Leonardo Balerdi and having made inappropriate remarks about the refereeing body, the director of football from the Marseille club has once again been talked about, for the wrong reasons. Caught in the middle of a scuffle between the two benches after Marseille’s equalizer, the former defender was sent off by Clément Turpin after an exchange with the fourth referee. A decision that does not pass for the main interested party: « We score, I’m going to see the 4e referee, telling him: “Tell him anyway that there was a penalty.” I separate my coach who was getting confused with Mr. Létang. And Mr. Turpin comes to give me a red card of 50 meters, on the 4the referee tells me: “You pointed your finger at me and threatened me.” […] Why am I not allowed to speak and defend my team? » The two protagonists never question themselves and tell themselves that they simply have nothing to do there.
It is not up to these two leaders to take the spotlight during a match or at the end of the game. Their attitudes, often aggressive, constantly fuel controversies, but overshadow the most important thing: the field. The actors, the players, Vito Mannone’s performance and everything in between. The confusion between Sylvain Armand and Frédéric Antonetti at the time of Lille-Metz, when the Corsican technician spoke of the famous “BCBG”should have been the end point of these scenes which had become unbearable. The sanctions are perhaps no longer enough, we should be firmer, as the authorities are much more easily when it concerns the supporters. The latter do not need these models, who feed the most outlandish conspiracy theories, and who must learn to stay in their place until a meeting is over: in the stands.
OM unearths a video montage to clear Medhi Benatia
