Marseille president Pablo Longoria has been hit with a 15-match ban following his "true corruption" rant against Ligue 1 match officials.
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Article continues below
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- Questionable decisions in loss to Auxerre
- President, advisor and head coach spoke out
- Lengthy suspensions handed out as a result
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Longoria also accused the French top-flight of being "rigged" and branded it a "sh*tty championship" after witnessing some debatable decisions in his team’s 3-0 defeat to Auxerre – which saw Roberto De Zerbi’s side finish the game with 10 men.
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- AFP
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The referee’s union in France was quick to condemn Longoria’s tirade, and he has since apologised. He will, however, have to serve a lengthy ban from "all official functions" at Stade Velodrome – which includes being on the bench, visiting the dressing room and stepping foot on the pitch.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Marseille advisor Fabrizio Ravenelli, who accused referee Jeremy Stinat of "not knowing what he was doing", has also been stung with a three-match ban. Both sanctions could into effect from March 4, after a meeting with Nantes on Sunday.
- AFP
WHAT ROBERTO DE ZERBI SAID
De Zerbi will be hoping that no more controversy is sparked there, as the former Brighton boss said in the wake of a disappointing loss to Auxerre: "I'm Italian, and after OM I'm not going to coach in France again. There's a problem in the French championship, if French people are happy with this level of decision-making, then good for them. But today it was scandalous. The referee was not in [the right state of mind to officiate] this match because of all the controversy surrounding him."
