Lille/PSG – Referee defends himself, hits out at circus

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·2 September 2026

Lille/PSG – Referee defends himself, hits out at circus

Eric Wattelier, the referee for last Friday’s match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lille on Matchday 2 of the 2026-2027 Ligue 1 season, has been in the spotlight since the 2-2 draw snatched by the Parisians at the very last second. The reason: complaints from Lille, followed by long debates among the media and fans, about the extra minute added on top of the announced stoppage time. In an interview with the newspaper L’Indépendant, the man with the whistle once again justified his decision and lamented all the fuss over a simple application of the rules.

“not looking at the shortcomings that, perhaps, his team had.”

“During that stoppage time, Lille’s goalkeeper stayed on the ground and wasted some time, which also had to be added on,” the referee explains. “At that moment we inform both coaches. I tell my fourth official that we will play three minutes plus one, so a minimum of four minutes, and I could even add that during that stoppage time I had to caution Lille’s left-back, who wasted time by kicking the ball away. In the tunnel, some officials asked [him] why we had added time, and I explained that those are the laws of the game. From a regulatory standpoint, there was nothing shocking about it. For me, it is not a controversy, and besides, we are used to dealing with pressure and protests. We know that the slightest refereeing decision that goes against a team becomes a pretext for complaints, for shifting the blame, and for not looking at the shortcomings that, perhaps, his team had.”

“This is a controversy that has no reason to exist”

“It is always easier to go after the referee, even when everything is completely clear and straightforward under the rules. I explained it, and the videos thanks to the ‘ref cam’ proved it as well. This is a controversy that has no reason to exist, but it is part of the football circus, as I often say,” comments relayed by Le Parisien.

The explanation is very simple: the referee followed the rules. There is a minimum amount of stoppage time, to which more time can be added depending on what happens in the game. A goal, an “injury,” cards being handed out… it quickly adds up to several seconds. And in the end, a little more than a minute was added after a dangerous move that lasted a bit around Lille’s goal.

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Everything was indicated live by the referee. That can leave some frustration, because Lille was not far from a notable victory. But the stoppage time was not “at fault,” and neither was the referee. It was the game itself, Paris fighting until the end, and Lille fading a little in the closing moments.

It is quite dishonest on LOSC’s part to complain afterward. The media, unsurprisingly, are taking advantage of it to multiply debates and comments. And yet everything was fairly simple and could have been settled without getting lost in it. That would have left more room for the football itself. But that is very much one of today’s problems, with the constant search for controversy. Whether it is refereeing or something else, even if the first point is a classic of the “football circus.” Opinions flying in every direction without knowing, or taking into account, the “details.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.