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PSG midfielder Marco Verratti is at risk of suspension following his criticism of the referee in his team's shock 3-1 Ligue 1 loss to Nantes on Sunday. GetFootballNewsFrance has reported that following the comments made after Saturday's game, both Verratti and Parisians club director Leonardo are at risk of suspension.
Many expected PSG to romp to victory, but it was Nantes who emerged victors on the night. Following their second league loss of the season, Parisians midfielder Verratti was critical of referee Mikael Lesage.
The Italian said that Dennis Appiah should have been sent off. However, the Nantes midfielder had the red downgraded to yellow by VAR, which adjudged that it wasn't an intentional denial of a goalscoring opportunity.
Nevertheless, a far from bemused Verratti told Canal+ (via GOAL):
"The referee should have controlled better. With the fouls committed, we risk having players unavailable for 3 months like the foul on Kylian."
The Euro 2020 winner continued:
"I don't want to be here to cry. We deserved to lose, but against us, there is this desire to whistle against us. It's embarrassing. We were s**t on by the refereeing.”
Appiah's tripping of PSG forward Kylian Mbappe was originally adjudged a sending-off offence. However, the referee consulted VAR and brandished a yellow card instead.
That was one of 16 fouls committed by Nantes in the tense affair at the Beaujoire Stadium on Saturday as six PSG players saw yellow. Apart from Verratti, PSG director Leonardo also bemoaned the referee's performance. He was quoted by L'Equipe as saying in this regard:
“The referee says ‘No, it’s Mbappé, it’s Neymar, I won’t blow the whistle! It’s Messi, I won’t blow the whistle, it’s Paris Saint-Germain, I won’t blow the whistle!'”
PSG still in prime position to win Ligue 1
Despite Saturday's shock defeat, the Parisians are in pole position to win a tenth Ligue 1 title, their eighth in ten years. That's because they are 13 points clear of second-placed Marseille, who have a game in hand.
Saturday's result is a slight bump on the road to the title as manager Mauricio Pochettino looks to win his first league trophy as manager.
The performance against Nantes may be concerning, as the team played well against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg in midweek.
The Parisians will next host St. Etienne at home on Sunday before travelling to The Allianz Riviera Stadium to take on Nice. Should they win both games, another Ligue 1 title would become a formality for the Parisians.
Mauricio Pochettino's men will then turn their attention to the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie with Real Madrid on March 9. All eyes will be on Kylian Mbappe at the Santiago Bernabeu after his 94th-minute winner in the first leg in Paris separates the two teams.
