UNAF criticises FFF for dropping Longoria complaint | OneFootball

UNAF condemned the French federation’s decision to abandon its complaint against OM president Longoria after his outburst at Auxerre. The union said in a statement that the move was baffling.

Longoria raged in the Abbé-Deschamps tunnel following OM’s 0-3 defeat in February, alleging corruption and kicking a nearby container.

He rowed back the next day in an AFP interview. The LFP disciplinary commission later suspended him for 15 matches.

The FFF and LFP jointly filed a defamation complaint on 12 May. The FFF then failed to pay the required deposit to the Paris judicial court, making its civil-party filing inadmissible.

UNAF warned that such signals risk harming the officiating community, particularly at amateur level where recruitment is already strained. It said it would stay mobilised alongside SAFE to defend referees’ image, authority and commitment.

The FFF considers the nine-month suspension imposed on Longoria to be proportionate. Separately, the joint defamation complaint by the League and SAFE remains active.

Source: L'Équipe