Sébastien Pocognoli denounces referee’s ‘double standards’ after Monaco’s elimination by PSG | OneFootball

A refereeing decision was the pivotal moment in AS Monaco’s UEFA Champions League play-off against Paris Saint-Germain.

Maghnes Akliouche’s first-half strike meant that the tie was levelled 3-3 on aggregate. However, the game turned on the 58-minute mark when Mamadou Coulibaly was shown a second yellow in the space of just four minutes. 

From the preceding free-kick, PSG got their noses back in front, and Luis Enrique’s side would subsequently qualify, albeit by the skin of their teeth (2-2, agg. 5-4). “It was a bit severe,” said Sébastien Pocognoli in reaction to Coulibaly’s sending off, “especially since the two cards were given in the space of five minutes.”

“10 minutes later, [Lucas] Hernandez [the referee] doesn’t give a yellow card and just tells him to calm down. For me, there are double standards. It happens too often this season with Monaco. Beyond the frustration, there is pride and also a bit of anger,” said the Monaco manager in a press conference attended by Get French Football News. 

This season, the Principality club have received nine red cards in all competitions, including in the first-leg of their UCL play-off, when Aleksandr Golovin was shown a straight red card just after half-time.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle