Textor expresses his anger after the Errement of the VAR and the Key Action Against Tolisso

Olympique Lyonnais’ president, John Textor, did not hide his ras-le-bol after his team defeated Saint-Étienne (2-1), and more particularly following the VAR intervention in the game. Apparently annoyed, he denounced what he considers to be a manifest error of arbitration, pointing at Stassin’s decisive action which led to the cancellation of a red card originally attributed to the Stéphanese defender.

Textor pointed out that “the facts speak for themselves,” considering that there had been “great concern with arbitration”. He criticized the intervention of the VAR, explaining that the arbitrator initially made the wrong decision before reviewing his decision following the intervention of the VAR.

The Lyon president expressed his disappointment at the absence of his supporters and denounced the injustice of the situation: Stassin, despite his decisive double, continued to play, while Corentin Tolisso, injured as a result of the fault, had to abandon the game. “The player who committed the fault continued, while the one who was injured had to come out. That’s too bad,” he said.

Despite Stassin’s apology after the meeting, John Textor was not appeased. “I listen to him, I respect his words. But the video shows a different reality. Tolisso is one of our best players. He couldn’t go on. It’s a mistake,” he said.

More broadly, the President of Lyon is concerned about a worrying trend: it is the eighth time that his club has been the victim of a manifest error of the VAR. In the face of this situation, John Textor announced the sending of a letter to the Professional Football League to ask for explanations and demand an arbitration at the level of the championship.