Scandal in Ligue 1! The referees respond to Marseille and cite Real Madrid

The Elite Football Referees Union (SAFE) of Ligue 1 issued a strong statement this Sunday following the harsh criticisms from Olympique de Marseille towards the referees of the top tier of French football. The referees denied any form of corruption in their work directly alluding to the 'war' of Real Madrid against the refereeing of LaLiga, urging clubs in their country not to follow the line of Madrid's referee harassment.

"The bad example set in recent weeks by certain large Spanish clubs is probably not the example to follow. And if there is a Spanish example to follow, it is to demand respect for refereeing before each match with the slogan 'respect the referee, respect football'", the SAFE statement reads. Additionally, Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation (FFF), also supported the referees, stating that Marseille took a stance that is "defamatory, unacceptable, and condemnable".

Marseille exploded against the Ligue 1 referees on Saturday

The controversy began on Saturday, after Marseille's defeat against Auxerre (3-0). The expulsion of Derek Cornelius for a second yellow card in the 63rd minute sparked outrage from the club's president, the Spaniard Pablo Longoria. With one player less, Roberto De Zerbi's team conceded two more goals in the final stretch to end up being thrashed. With the defeat, Marseille could fall 13 points behind Paris Saint-Germain if Luis Enrique's team defeats Lyon this Sunday.

"Everything was planned, organized, for days. You can say it, you can say it!", Longoria began saying completely beside himself after the match against Auxerre. "It's a shitty championship: if the European Super League invites us, we will go immediately", added the president. Adrien Rabiot (midfielder) and Fabrizio Ravanelli (executive) also criticized the refereeing of matchday 23, although in a less furious tone than that of the Spaniard.