Anthony Lopes’s Outspoken Critique of Refereeing Decisions

Nantes drew 1-1 with Lorient on Sunday during the 13th matchday of Ligue 1, but frustrations ran high for Nantes due to a controversial goal awarded to Lorient. A cross from Bamo Meïté intended for offside Sambou Soumano was deflected into the net by Chidozie Awaziem, catching goalkeeper Anthony Lopes off guard. Referee Ruddy Buquet approved the goal after consulting VAR, contradicting his assistant referee’s call, leaving the goalkeeper visibly frustrated.

After expressing his anger towards the referee during the match, Lopes continued in the mixed zone: “I want to highlight the decision regarding Lorient’s goal. I find it quite incomprehensible to validate such a goal. What can I say? The player was clearly offside, and he claims he wasn’t involved in play. But of course he was, because only through playing football can we know a player is active. Otherwise, ‘Chido’ (Chidozie Awaziem) wouldn’t have tackled, and I wouldn’t have gone against the player. I don’t understand,” said the Nantes goalkeeper, also mentioning a foul that could have been called earlier in the play. “Even if, at worst, he thinks the player wasn’t involved, I believe there was a severe elbow to Matthis Abline just seconds before. But I don’t even want to discuss that elbow because it’s a clear error. So, we won’t dwell on this, but I think things need to improve quickly, as they are also part of the game,” he added. Criticism of the refereeing continues to grow.