Ligue 1: four questions on the conflict between OM and refereeing, which is shaking up French football

The images have been making the rounds on social networks: in the corridors of the Abbé-Deschamps, Pablo Longoria explodes and gets carried away against " the corruption " of "this shitty championship" , while his OM is losing on the Auxerre pitch , Saturday February 22. If he has since returned to his remarks, regretting in particular the term "corruption" , the Spanish president of OM finds himself at the heart of a controversy that goes beyond the Old Port, and he risks big.

What happened in Auxerre?

Already beaten at the Vélodrome by AJ Auxerre in the first half of the season (1-3), Olympique de Marseille had a difficult evening on Saturday, February 22, on the Auxerre pitch, with a stinging defeat to the key (3-0). Shortly after the hour mark, when AJA was already leading 1-0, Jérémy Stinat sent off Marseille defender Derek Cornelius, sanctioning him with a second yellow card. Judging that the referee had already forgotten a penalty for OM, and unfairly disallowed a goal for offside, Pablo Longoria flew into a black rage in the corridors of the stadium.

"Everything has been organized since Balerdi's yellow card in Angers, it's real corruption! It's a shitty championship. If OM has a proposal for the Super League, we'll leave right away," Pablo Longoria thundered in front of the cameras. Since then, the OM president has gone back on his words . At the club, it is recognized that the refereeing errors pointed out in Burgundy are " debatable ", but a source close to the case specifies that it was "the last straw."

Why is OM protesting against refereeing?

To understand Pablo Longoria's outburst of anger at Auxerre, it must be remembered that, since the start of the season, OM has felt wronged by the refereeing, and has taken the position to not let anything go, regardless of the ranking in Ligue 1. Without going into a list of the facts of the game concerned, the official broadcaster of Ligue 1, DAZN, has published a non-exhaustive compilation. Among others, OM has written several times to the management of refereeing, in particular to express surprise at the designation of Jérémy Stinat for Auxerre-OM, while a dispute is in progress with Medhi Benatia . A letter that has remained unanswered.

OM also contacted the League about a VAR operator who expressed his hatred of OM on his social networks, but did not receive a response . However, during Auxerre-OM, the camera angle in the VAR bus had been modified, so that the operator at the controls could not be identified.

If Pablo Longoria has gone back on his words, " keen to say that there is no corruption in French football", the club should not abandon its position on refereeing in the middle of the season, according to the Marseille president: "If in life we ​​decide to let everything go, then it is a world without conviction. And as much as I do not find myself in the type of reaction that I had, I will never recognize myself in a person who does not defend his convictions."

What is the risk of Pablo Longoria?

Summoned before the disciplinary committee on Wednesday, February 26, Pablo Longoria risks a long suspension, the length of which will depend on the qualification of the remarks, despite his backpedaling. The disciplinary scale of the Professional Football League provides for a suspension of three matches in the event of "excessive/inappropriate behavior" , but 12 matches for "rude/insulting behavior" .

In the event of a suspension, Pablo Longoria would not be able to access the locker room on match days, nor the bench, and would be suspended from all official duties. And this while Medhi Benatia, the Marseille sporting director, is already suspended for three months. In addition, Pablo Longoria would not be able to sit on the board of directors of the LFP, of which he is a member.

Finally, the Spanish president of Olympique de Marseille is also the target of a defamation complaint, which will be filed on Wednesday by the Elite Football Referees Union (SAFE), signed by all the referees of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, who do not intend to let this incident pass .

What are the consequences for OM?

From a sporting perspective, Olympique de Marseille is not at risk of points being deducted or other types of sanctions. The club will simply have to do without its president on match days, which doesn't change much in the life of a locker room. The question is: will OM refereed as if nothing had happened until the end of the season? Will the referees, even unconsciously, be harder on the Olympique players after this episode, or on the contrary more lenient, with the idea that each of their decisions will be examined in the light of this affair?

Asked by franceinfo: sport on the subject, the SAFE assures that nothing will change for the men in black: "A referee at this level is very prepared psychologically, mentally , says the union's spokesperson, Olivier Lamarre. He is absolutely ready to make decisions on the field, without taking into account what is happening outside, and to ignore everything that may have been said before the match."

In the same interview, SAFE nevertheless acknowledges that the appointment of Jérémy Stinat for Auxerre-OM, even though the latter is involved in a legal dispute with Medhi Benatia following the Coupe de France match between Lille and OM at the beginning of January, "may raise questions."