FFF’s Arbitration Board Approves Doukouré’s Suspension Following Incident

After the match between OL and Strasbourg (2-1) on Sunday night, Liam Rosenior expressed his frustration over the red card shown to his defender Ismaël Doukouré for a harsh tackle on Malick Fofana. However, the Refereeing Department of the FFF stood by the referee Éric Wattellier’s decision. They stated, “The tackle by Strasbourg player No. 6 was from behind, uncontrolled, and executed with speed and intensity.”

“He clearly endangers the physical integrity of the Lyon player, constituting a serious foul under law 12. A red card was warranted to penalize this infraction, even though it occurred after the referee’s whistle. The resumption of play following the initial free kick was in accordance with the Laws of the Game,” the DTA noted in their report published on Tuesday. Fofana, who sustained an injury to his left ankle, will be sidelined for three months. Meanwhile, Rosenior backtracked in a press conference 48 hours later, wishing a speedy recovery to the Belgian international.