Lille president slapped with four-month ban after explosive referee row following PSG draw

Letang was in September fined 20,000 euros by the league’s disciplinary commission, but the French football federation (FFF) appealed that punishment, arguing it was too lenient. — AFP pic

First Published: Friday, 06 Nov 2026 9:41 AM MYT

LILLE, Nov 6 — Lille president Olivier Letang has been suspended for four months for criticising officials following his club’s Ligue 1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain this season, a Lille spokesperson said yesterday. 

Letang was in September fined 20,000 euros by the league’s disciplinary commission, but the French football federation (FFF) appealed that punishment, arguing it was too lenient. The governing body’s own appeals body subsequently imposed the harsher sanction.

The Lille president came under scrutiny after a 2-2 draw with PSG in late August, when he criticised the amount of stoppage time played and protested against the appointment of referee Eric Wattellier for the match.

Letang described the situation as a “scandal” and later sent emails to French refereeing chief Antony Gautier and to officials at the FFF and the French league. In one, he wrote that Lille could “no longer accept being refereed by this person”.

In a statement sent to AFP, Letang said he would pursue all available avenues of appeal, including a potential case before the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF).

Letang was suspended for more than two months in January over remarks directed at Wattellier and was fined 10,000 euros by Uefa in 2025 after criticising an official following Lille’s Europa League defeat by PAOK Salonika. — AFP