What really happened at the Mondial de la Saint-Pierre, near Nantes? A Paris Saint-Germain team was excluded from this U15 tournament following a semi-final played against Troyes on Friday. According to a press release shared by the organizers, the referees felt “unsafe” during the meeting.
“Following the incidents (…), it was decided, in agreement with the refereeing body, to exclude Paris SG from the tournament,” we can read in the document. Note that this incident concerns a team from the PSG association, which does not depend directly on the professional section or its training center. It is a leisure team registered with the French Football Federation and has a separate office.
😯 Big incidents at the Saint-Pierre U15 World Cup in Nantes. PSG was excluded from the tournament following a general brawl in the semi-finals against ESTAC and threats against the referees. pic.twitter.com/4dv5IOdE3L
— EspoirsduFootball (@EspoirsduFoot) April 28, 2024
According to our information, the dispute begins during the last action of this half. While PSG is trailing 1-0, they receive a penalty. But 30 seconds later, the referee raised his flag and signaled a very late offside, therefore canceling the Trojan foul. “He was intimidated by someone close to a Troyes player,” notes Romain* (first name changed), a volunteer at the Saint-Pierre club and present on the scene. This spectator allegedly made threats urging the young referee to raise his flag, under penalty of physical reprisals.
The end of the match was ordered immediately, in an apparently normal atmosphere: while the young Parisians were crying, the Trojans were exulting and the two coaches shook hands. The only ones absent: the sideline referees, who rushed to the locker room as soon as the final whistle blew. According to Ouest-France, the Parisian players ran after them. What followed was a discussion between these referees and the delegates out of sight, leading to the exclusion of PSG.
“It was never possible to discuss with them,” adds a PSG companion. They locked themselves in this room and said: either PSG leaves the tournament, or we stop whistling. » The organizing club of Saint-Pierre, faced with a fait accompli, granted their request. “In agreement with them, we decided to exclude PSG,” simply comments President Julien Boye. But almost 48 hours after the events, he is still waiting for the explanatory report from the referees. The affair has, in the meantime, gained some momentum on social networks, where rumors of a general fight have spread. These were denied by the president.
“How could the referees feel threatened? »
For the rest, the incomprehension remains, while the meeting took place in a rather peaceful overall atmosphere, according to several witnesses, and the dispute seems to come from the Trojan clan (contacted, ESTAC Troyes did not wish to comment the case). “How could the referees feel threatened? If there had been insults, people around would have heard it. There, that was not the case,” notes a photographer.
The only proven incident was that a red card was sent to a PSG coach following challenges to refereeing decisions deemed unfavorable. According to Ouest-France, he would have been the author of rude remarks towards an assistant referee. “He passed behind the handrail without any problem, it was just a crash like we hear every Saturday,” explains the local guide.
Apart from this event, the witnesses interviewed portrayed an “exemplary” PSG team. “I really want to emphasize their kindness, their politeness and their respect,” indicates this same guide, present alongside these young players for four days. We had a good laugh, I even thanked them for being so kind, continues volunteer Romain. They just wanted to play their last match. » However, they returned to the capital on Saturday evening without having the right to play their small final against the Dutch from PEC Zwolle.
