Paris Saint-Germain gained the upper hand in the first half when Amine Harit received a straight red card for a foul on Marquinhos. The Moroccan midfielder’s tackle was serious enough for the referee to send him off, leaving OM down to ten men.
After the red card, the Parisians scored two more goals, Leonardo Balerdi recording an own goal and Bradley Barcola adding the third goal to put the contest out of reach despite there being another 45 minutes.
Referee François Letexier is at the center of attention with the decision to give a straight red card and he spoke to DAZN and defended his judgement.
“I couldn’t doubt it because I saw the consequences of the action,” Letexier told the French media outlet. “I’m certain my decision will affect the game’s outcome. Our job now is to make decisions based on the technical implications.”
“The VAR doesn’t view my decision as a clear error. In fact, they confirm that there was contact from the sole at the torso level, but the angle that shows the duel from the side wasn’t shown in the broadcast.”
“From the beginning, I felt that this action put his opponent’s physical integrity at risk. Still, I took the time to think it over. Very quickly, Marquinhos took off his T-shirt, and I noticed the imprint of the studs.”
🗣 L’arbitre Letexier a DAZN
« Je ne pouvais pas en douter puisque j’ai vu les conséquences du geste. Je ne doute pas que ma décision va avoir un impact sur le déroulé de la rencontre. Maintenant notre travail est de prendre des décisions selon les conséquences techniques. » pic.twitter.com/qKUq8XlUq5
— ParisSG INFOS (@Paris_sginfos) October 27, 2024
🗣 L’arbitre Letexier a DAZN
« le VAR ne considère pas que ma décision est une erreur manifeste. Au contraire, ils me confirment qu’il y a contact de la semelle au niveau du torse, avec un angle qui n’a pas été diffusé par la réalisation, qui permet de voir le duel de profil. » pic.twitter.com/BliPgRZvAI
— ParisSG INFOS (@Paris_sginfos) October 27, 2024
🗣 L’arbitre François Letexier a DAZN
« Dès le départ, j’ai le sentiment que ce geste met en danger l’intégrité physique de son adversaire. Je prends malgré tout le temps de la réflexion. Très rapidement, Marquinhos enlève son tee-shirt et je vois la trace des crampons. » pic.twitter.com/s9Benr6NKR
— ParisSG INFOS (@Paris_sginfos) October 27, 2024
The Parisians’ next match will be against RC Lens on Saturday at the Parc des Princes. Afterward, Luis Enrique and his team will host Atlético de Madrid, who lost to LOSC Lille on Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League this past weekend. The Spanish side also lost to Real Betis to cap off a horrible week.
