February 2 – A French referee who aimed a kick at a Nantes player before sending him off in a high-profile top-flight fixture against Paris St-Germain and was immediately suspended has now been banned for six months, half of which is suspended.
Tony Chapron had been stood down from duty by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) following the incident in PSG’s win on January 14.
Chapron aimed a kick at Nantes’ Diego Carlos towards the end the game after the pair collided accidentally and subsequently handed the player a second caution which saw the defender sent off.
Chapron, who has taken charge of more than 400 matches in his career, apologised the day after the incident and Carlos’ second yellow card was rescinded. He admitted his reaction was “clumsy” and “inappropriate”.
On the night of the fixture, Nantes president Waldemar Kita called for Chapron to be banned for six months. “I got 20 text messages from all over the world telling me the referee was a joke,” Kita told L’Equipe. “What do you want me to say? If I talk too much I will be called before the disciplinary commission. We don’t have the right to say anything.”
“It’s scandalous to see that. He gives a red card to a player who did nothing. He needs to go back to school. It’s amateurish. I’ve never seen anything like it. He needs to be suspended for six months.”
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