‘Serious and unacceptable remarks’ – French FA president Philippe Diallo reacts to Pablo Longoria outburst | OneFootball

French FA president Philippe Diallo has reacted to incendiary remarks and accusations made by Olympique de Marseille president Pablo Longoria accusing referee Jérémy Stinat of corruption, following Les Olympiens’ 3-0 loss away to Auxerre on Saturday night. Speaking to L’Équipe, Diallo said that Longoria’s remarks were “serious, inadmissible and unacceptable comments. How can we expect referees to be respected at amateur level when such behaviour occurs at the highest level of French football.”“I am aware of the pressure and the issues that can arise for professional clubs,” continued Philippe Diallo. “Everyone must remain calm and I cannot remember any accusations of corruption against our refereeing in the past. Our refereeing has shown its full competence at international level, having been chosen for the opening (Clément Turpin) and the final of Euro 2024 (François Letexier). The federation supports all its referees, both professional and amateur, and of course Mr Stinat. Before the match, the tyres of his two vehicles were punctured. His wife noticed it when she was about to take the motorway. We need to call for reason. Such remarks are unacceptable.”The paranoia and tension has been mounting at Marseille in recent weeks over several refereeing decisions, notably the decision to ban director of Football Medhi Benatia from the touchline for three-months after the Moroccan approached none other than Stinat, the fourth official during OM’s Coupe de France exit against Lille on penalties in January, to complain about a potential penalty. Referee Jérémy Stinat was already the subject of questioning before the game from the OM hierarchy, after a complaint was sent to the referee arbitration board. “This is corruption! I’ve never seen anything like it. You can write it down: Pablo Longoria says it’s corruption,” Longoria reportedly shouted to journalists following the match, according to La Provence. “Everything has been organised since the third yellow given to Balerdi (suspended this Saturday against Auxerre). It’s planned, it’s rigged. There’s a penalty on Merlin, four European referees have told me so by message, and the most scandalous thing is the red card to Cornelius. This is a shitty championship, If the Super League comes to see us, we’ll go right away.”GFFN | George Boxall