February 27 – Olympique de Marseille’s Spanish president Pablo Longoria has been handed a whopping 15-game ban following an outburst over the weekend in which he claimed his club were the victims of “corruption” following a 3-0 Ligue 1 loss to Auxerre.
Longoria criticised referee Jeremy Stinat after his decision to show defender Derek Cornelius a second yellow card during the match.
“This is corruption. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “You can write it down: ‘Pablo Longoria says it’s corruption.’ Everything has been organised. It’s planned, it’s rigged.”
The French league’s disciplinary commission said in a statement that his ban includes “all official functions” such as sitting on the bench and having access to the dressing room and tunnel.
Former Marseille player Fabrizio Ravanelli, now acting as the club’s adviser, was also left fuming by the Auxerre defeat and accused match referee Jérémy Stinat of “not knowing what he was doing.”
The former Italy and Juventus striker received a three-match ban, with both suspensions effective from next Tuesday.
Stinat said he received death threats after the game and France’s referee’s union SAFE had released a statement on Sunday saying it would take legal action. French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo also criticised Longoria for his comments.
With 10 rounds left of the French league, Longoria’s ban effectively carries over into next season. On Monday, he somewhat backtracked from his initial outburst.
“Everyone explained to me clearly the meaning of the word corruption in French, because in Spanish, it has a broader meaning,” he said. “But I have never in my life thought about something like money exchanges or financial transactions, I would never allow myself that. I want to say that there is no corruption in French football.”
Longoria did, though, say that wanted to see officiating improve in Ligue 1.
“Even if nothing justifies [the comments], you have to understand how you get to this anger,” he added. “My first responsibility is to defend my club. There have been a lot of refereeing decisions this season where I consider that Marseille have been disadvantaged.”
Marseille are second in Ligue 1 after 23 games but are 13 points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain. Roberto De Zerbi’s side are next in action on Sunday when they host Nantes.
Contact the writer of this story Andrew Warshaw at moc.l1740677167labto1740677167ofdlr1740677167owedi1740677167sni@w1740677167ahsra1740677167w.wer1740677167dna1740677167