The questionable refereeing decisions of Stéphanie Frappart left a bitter taste for the Valenciennes, beaten by Lyon in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France on Tuesday (3-0). Anthony Knockaert was quite virulent on the microphone of beIN Sports after the meeting: “I thought we were going to do it. The penalty, I haven’t seen the images but it seems very light to me. A few moments before, there is the same thing and she (Ms. Frappart) does not whistle. There, it’s in the surface, it whistles. Is it because it’s a big club? I don’t know. I weigh my words. They can suspend me, I don’t care because it’s hard. It’s hard to accept when you’re last in Ligue 2 and you see a match scenario like that. »
“Everyone will have their own opinion but, given our first period, these facts of the game carried a lot of weight…”
Ahmed Kantari, Valenciennes coach
If some coaches would have gone up in arms against the refereeing, Ahmed Kantari, that of Valenciennes, was more moderate than his attacking midfielder. He preferred to focus on the performance and the pride provided by his players during this semi-final: “I have the right to say “no comment”, he replied. You know my opinion, there is no fault in our goal. They score a penalty while Lacazette leans on my defender, but I’m not going to knock on the refereeing. Everyone will have their own opinion but, given our first period, these facts of the game weighed a lot… But I don’t want to let anger overwhelm me, I am happy with what we proposed technically and tactically. We will rely on this match for the rest in L2. Players do not have the right to do less at the end of the season. »
