Marquinhos, Paris Saint-Germain’s 30-year-old central defender and captain, stopped off in the mixed zone after the 2-4 victory over AS Monaco this Wednesday at the Stade Louis II in the advanced match of Matchday 16 of Ligue 1 2024-2025. He spoke in particular about the absence of a card for Wilfried Singo (23-year-old right-back) when he put his sole in the face of Gianluigi Donnarumma (25-year-old goalkeeper), who had to leave.
Marquinhos “you have to protect the players.”
“I don’t know if the referee was in the wrong place, but VAR had to be called, you have to protect the players. In a situation like this, not to give a red is strong. The image is frightening. The referee said that the gesture was a continuation of the action”. Ouest-France reports.
It’s hard to keep up with the refereeing, with explanations that are inconsistent from match to match. Or even within the same match. Sometimes, the voluntary aspect seems essential. Other times, it’s a matter of keeping the players safe.
Here, we hope Singo doesn’t put his foot in Donnarumma’s face on purpose. That would be terrible. But the players have to make sure they don’t endanger others. The referees are there to push them in that direction.
Without a penalty for this gesture, the players don’t have a reminder of the attention required in a duel, particularly with the goalkeeper. And let’s not forget that there have been other, less impressive, close calls. The referee, François Letexier, refused to explain himself after the match. So, as is all too often the case, we’re left with a great deal of misunderstanding.
