Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas went on a tirade about the “monstrous errors” from referees and VAR that he says have cost his side five points in the last week, after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Lorient at home on Saturday.
Left-back Emerson was sent off just 15 minutes into the match and Armand Lauriente scored for Lorient from the subsequent free-kick.
This comes just six days after Lyon were denied a point at Paris Saint-Germain, in part because of a contentious penalty awarded to Neymar in the second half which Aulas labelled “an aberration”.
What has been said?
Aulas argued Emerson should not have been sent off and that VAR should have intervened, insisting such mistakes will affect the fight for the Ligue 1 title.
“I would have liked a match on equal terms,” he said to Prime Video. “When the teams are of quality, it comes normally but, as in Paris strangely, we find ourselves disappointed. Not disappointed with the result as such, but disappointed with the quality of refereeing and especially what the VAR does not do.
“For the red card which brings the free kick and the goal, the player is one metre away and touches Emerson’s heel, there is no fault. In addition he lost the ball which is four metres in front, how can the referee give a red card?
“Third error of the referee, we see that Jason Denayer covers the action so Emerson is not the last defender. Finally the free kick is fired seven metres from the so-called foul.
“I am extremely disappointed because VAR does not provide what it should. A referee can be wrong, the VAR must correct the errors, so a huge disappointment not as a club leader but as a member of an institution, of the league.
“There are such important issues, in Paris everyone could see it, but no one of the officials has spoken to say the monstrous error of judgement, which in my opinion is not very good on the will to progress.
“We all make mistakes and we have to admit it because it changes the course of the championship. We have just lost five points because of refereeing errors.”
What did Bosz say?
Lyon coach Peter Bosz shared the club president’s confusion about the decision to send off Emerson.
Bosz said: “I no longer understand the decisions. Was the VAR there today? It happens in football, but three or four times in such a short period of time, normally in football it’s over a whole season.”
Lyon this season
Bosz’s team are currently seventh in Ligue 1, having taken 12 points from eight matches. They will now turn their attention to Thursday’s Europa League match against Brondby at home, which will be followed by a trip to Saint-Etienne on October 3.
