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During the southern derby between Nice and Montpellier yesterday afternoon, Nice’s Brazilian centre-back Dante was sent off for a seemingly soft foul, which also resulted in a Montpellier penalty. Although Téji Savanier missed the ensuing spot-kick, Christophe Galtier still had plenty to say after the game.
“I asked to see Mr. Turpin [the game’s referee], who received us in a transparent manner and in a good spirit. A few years ago the whole double jeopardy situation was removed. From the moment that it’s a non-sporting gesture, rather than a mistimed defensive effort, he considers it to have been a foul and punishable by a red card. I simply asked him politely to review the the footage because I didn’t consider it to have been a non-sporting gesture, but rather deviousness and malice from the young Montpellier attacker. I find this red card very severe.”
While Clément Turpin did not consult a monitor to check the decision, Galtier explained that VAR had reviewed the footage and confirmed that he need not check. The former Lille boss added, “I appreciate the fact that Mr. Turpin explained it to us precisely.”
This comes after PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi’s more forceful conversation with Dutch referee Danny Makkiele, following their Champions League exit on Wednesday.
