Pablo Longoria case: referees feel abandoned by the FFF | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, the referees’ union Safe has written to FFF president Philippe Diallo to question the federation’s decision to drop its complaint against OM president Pablo Longoria. The move comes five days after a letter from LFP president Vincent Labrune that was revealed on Friday.

The FFF chose not to confirm its 12 May complaint by failing to pay the required deposit to the Paris judicial court. That filing followed Longoria’s furious remarks after a 3-0 defeat at Auxerre in February, when he railed about corruption and used crude language to describe the league and the competition.

In the letter, union president Bastien Dechepy recalls that protecting referees is a priority of the FFF and its president, reaffirmed at the Federal Assembly on 13 December. The federation’s plan pledged to join such cases as a civil party on a systematic basis.

Safe says it regrets the decision, arguing the action could have had strong impact and set an example for those who target officials, and it asks how the FFF can leave its referees feeling unsupported. It adds that those represented want explanations and says there may still be time to back the case brought by Safe and 111 professional-sector referees.

The FFF considers the LFP disciplinary commission’s sanction of nine months for Longoria to be proportionate and appropriate. The joint defamation complaint by the League and Safe against Longoria is still ongoing.

Source: L'Équipe