In a debriefing of several situations that arose during Ligue 1 Matchday 13, the FFF's Refereeing Committee (Direction de l'Arbitrage) acknowledged on Tuesday that a penalty should have been awarded for the foul on Guessand in the 48th minute of the Lyon vs Nice match, following a demand from OGC Nice.

"The images show that the defender is holding back the striker, with one arm clearly encircling him, then both, and showing a lack of interest in the ball," wrote the DTA on the federation's official website. "The slight touch on the striker's left foot alone does not justify a penalty. The defender's intervention does not allow the attacker to continue his action after he has controlled the ball, and constitutes a foul under Law 12 of the game. A penalty should therefore have been awarded following the on-pitch review, as well as a caution to the offender for unsporting behaviour."

Listen to audio recording of VAR in the 48th minute

 

The Direction de l'Arbitrage has gone a step further in terms of transparency by publishing the audio recording of the exchange between the central referee and VAR (video above), ruling out the possibility of a handball by the Nice striker and attesting to the foul on the upper part of the body (even though the foul on Guessand's foot is not mentioned).

Unfortunately, the use of VAR did not persuade central referee Mr. Dechepy to change his initial decision, as can be heard on the recording.

 

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