The 2-2 draw between Lille and Paris Saint-Germain last Friday during Matchday 2 of Ligue 1 sparked considerable debate regarding the officiating. A major talking point was the fact that PSG scored their equalizer after 4 minutes and 15 seconds of stoppage time, even though only 3 minutes had been announced. Ligue1+ released “Ref Cam” footage featuring a clear explanation from referee Eric Wattellier to Lille player Dilane Bakwa (a 24-year-old forward), along with other interesting exchanges from the match.
“Wattellier: Too bad.
Bakwa: You have the time you announce at the end—2 minutes.
Wattellier: No, we set it at 4 minutes because they scored during stoppage time. And it’s a minimum of 4 minutes; they scored at the 4-minute mark.
Bakwa: Yeah, but a minimum of 3 minutes.
Wattellier: No, there was a goal afterwards, so we add more time.”
While some—particularly in Lille, though not exclusively—cried foul and called it a scandal, the situation is actually quite straightforward. It is important to remember that the stoppage time announced at the 90-minute mark is a “minimum.” Additional time can be added based on match events—including goals, but also fouls, substitutions, or attempts to waste time. Such time-wasting tactics did occur, on top of the time already added for the goal itself. There was nothing irregular about the decision, even if Lille’s frustration is understandable. One suspects there would have been fewer complaints had Lille scored a goal to make it 3-1 at that stage.
