Strasbourg is not losing its temper. Sunday, at the end of the 9th day of Ligue 1,
Racing lost to Lyon (2-1) in the last minutes of a match marked by the expulsion of Ismaël Doukouré. The Alsatian defender was sent off in the 67th minute, after video viewing, for a tackle on Malick Fofana. Referee Éric Wattellier, who initially issued a simple warning, finally brandished the red.
Fofana, injured in an ankle and taken out on a stretcher, immediately went for examinations at the hospital. His state of health is causing serious concern in Lyon. The medical staff mentions potential injuries to the ankle, tibia and fibula, requiring additional examinations to establish a precise diagnosis. There is uncertainty over the true severity of the injury.
On the Strasbourg side, the arbitration decision went badly. “I don’t want to talk about the referees but it affected us and I have to do it. I have a hard time swallowing the arbitration. We tried to win and I am proud of my team, of the work produced. We had control but decisions did not go our way”says coach Liam Rosenior.
“Each time, there was an arbitration problem”
Relaunched on Doukouré's red card, the Englishman insists:
“There are two pretty clear decisions that put us in a complicated situation. I don't think there is a red card. For me, it was an unlucky action. I don't want to see injured players on the pitch but the referee judged based on the injury and not on the action. It wasn't a dangerous tackle.”.
Rosenior, frustrated, deplores a series of unfavorable decisions since the start of the Ligue 1 season. “Each time, there was a refereeing problem. An offside against Monaco (2-3) which did not exist, against Marseille (1-2) too. And I'm not saying that the referees are against us, that there is something against us, I'm just giving my point of view.”he concludes.
