Roberto De Zerbi has made it clear that he won’t be returning to coach in France after a heated post-match interview following Marseille’s disappointing 3-0 defeat to Auxerre in Ligue 1.
The loss has left the team a whopping ten points behind PSG, the current league leaders, who also have a game in hand.
De Zerbi’s fury was palpable, as he took issue with both the performance of his players and what he saw as a poor display of refereeing.
A Costly Defeat for Marseille
The match, which saw Marseille struggle throughout, took a turn for the worse when defender Derek Cornelius was shown a second yellow card, leaving them a man down while they were already trailing 1-0.
With the team desperately trying to find a way back into the game, De Zerbi was fuming over the referee’s decision.
De Zerbi didn’t hold back when he spoke to Telefoot after the final whistle.
His frustration was clear as he vented about the referee’s decision-making, calling it “scandalous” and stating that, as an Italian, he had no intention of coaching in France again after his stint at Marseille.
He further criticized the level of officiating in Ligue 1, suggesting that if the French were content with such decisions, then that was their problem.
The Controversial Referee Decision
De Zerbi’s anger was rooted in more than just the match’s outcome.
His frustration was partly directed at referee Jérémy Stinat, who had been at the center of controversy.
Earlier in the week, Marseille had raised concerns over Stinat being chosen to referee the match, given his involvement in the suspension of their director of football, Medhi Benatia, following their exit from the Coupe de France.
De Zerbi expressed that Stinat was unfit to officiate the match due to the ongoing controversy surrounding him, and he didn’t mince words in his criticism.
Marseille’s Leadership Echoes De Zerbi’s Anger
De Zerbi wasn’t the only one outraged by the match’s events.
Marseille’s club president, Pablo Longoria, reportedly lost his cool in front of the media following the defeat.
According to reports from La Provence, Longoria blasted the league, saying the whole thing was “rigged” and “planned.”
He pointed to a penalty incident involving player Merlin, which had been deemed a clear penalty by four European referees who had messaged him privately.
But the red card for Cornelius seemed to be the final straw for Longoria, who didn’t hold back in calling the French league “a sh***y championship.”
He even went as far as to suggest that if the Super League were to form, Marseille would happily join.
De Zerbi and Longoria’s outbursts highlight the growing frustration with refereeing decisions in France, and it’s clear that the loss to Auxerre was more than just a bad result—it was the final straw in a growing frustration with Ligue 1.
This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!
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