No apology for Marseille
38th minute. Amine Gouiri tumbles in the PSG box after a tangle with Desire Doue, and Francois Letexier waves play on.
Marseille have been fuming about it since Sunday’s 2-1 Clasico defeat. On Tuesday afternoon they got their answer, and it wasn’t the one they wanted. The French referees’ technical department (DTA), publishing its matchday 5 review on the FFF website, sided with Letexier. Its reading: Doue got his right leg across and poked the ball away, and Gouiri was “already” losing his balance “before any contact”. The contact on its own couldn’t be called a foul, so no penalty was “the expected decision”.
That penalty shout was the dressing room’s main complaint. Nobody official is going to back it up.
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Lens get the admission instead
The same report does concede a mistake, just not in Marseille’s favour. Lens should have had a penalty against Monaco as early as the 18th minute, when the ball struck Sabidou Sane’s arm. According to the DTA, the arm was in a position that made his body unnaturally bigger, and the Senegal international took a risk that should have been punished.
What about the ball coming off Eric Dier’s leg first? Dismissed. Law 12 doesn’t list that as an exception that cancels out a handball, the DTA pointed out.
One goal in it
Monaco won 2-1. A spot kick after 18 minutes could have changed everything for Lens, runners-up to PSG last season. None of that comes back, of course. The DTA will happily explain its calls every week, but the table stays exactly as it is.
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