Exasperated Textor: The VAR and OM Facing a “Manifest Error”

Marseille - The Football Club of Marseille (OM) closely follows the current situation of its competitors, notably Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Monaco, Lyon, Nice, LOSC and Lens. However, the Sunday meeting against Olympique Lyonnais was marked by a controversial incident that fueled the debates and caused the exasperation of its president, John Textor.

The fault committed by Lucas Stassin on Corentin Tolisso, initially sanctioned by a red card before being revised by the VAR, is at the heart of the controversy. The arbitrator had initially expelled Stassin, but the VAR quickly prompted the official to review his decision, transforming the sanction into a simple warning.

John Textor, interviewed by DAZN after the meeting, expressed his outrage: “The facts speak for themselves. The player who committed the fault remained in the field and the one he injured could not continue the game, it’s a pity…”. The U.S. leader raised questions about the criteria used by officials, asking for clarification on FIFA standards. “We talked with the referee, we asked him about FIFA standards. He said it was a manifest mistake with the red card. I find it shocking.”

Textor pointed out that this incident is part of a series of recurring errors, noting that this is the eighth time in two seasons that the VAR penalizes OL. He calls for greater clarity in the management of serious mistakes, pointing to the slow down of the video which, he said, clearly shows that the ball was in front of Tolisso and that the action was intentional.

This episode revives tensions between OL leaders and arbitral bodies, as the team continues to return to the league 1 rankings. John Textor concluded by saying: “All we can do is write a letter, ask for explanations. We want it to be better.”