He had never taken the slightest red card in his career. The one he received in Nantes this Sunday is a first for Ludovic Ajorque. A first that he seemed to have trouble understanding on the ground, when Clément Turpin, the referee of the match, sent him this sanction in the 50th minute of play. To return to the action leading to this sanction, the Strasbourg striker finds himself in a striking position in the opponent’s area. He then attempts a strike by tackling the ball. But Nantes defender Fabio comes back behind him at the time of the tackle. The action seems spectacular: Fabio is sharply tackled by Ajorque.
The red was then immediately out of the pocket of Clément Turpin, who did not consult the VAR before his decision. A decision that Julien Stéphan still had trouble swallowing after the meeting. “It’s an illogical, contentious decision between a player who arrives from the side or from behind and an attacker who comes to strike him, without any intention or any gravity. We [l’arbitre] must at that time, take more time in the decision. It was taken too hastily, and it does not go in the direction of the game ”. The technician of RC Strasbourg “hopes” moreover that this red card will be “withdrawn” in the disciplinary committee.
A bad for a good
In the end, this arbitration decision will have finally galvanized his troops, pushing them to equalize thanks to Thomasson (2-2), excellent against his former club. Because the Strasbourg people have shown great solidarity against a shy FC Nantes, despite his numerical superiority. “It’s an excellent result for us, considering the circumstances. A fantastic performance, against a team which remained on three consecutive victories at home. We moved them like few people did before us, “concludes Julien Stéphan.