Marseille President Longoria Faces Sanctions Over Referee Corruption Claims

Marseille president Pablo Longoria is facing potential disciplinary action after launching a scathing attack on match officials, alleging real corruption following his team's 3-0 defeat to Auxerre in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

The Spanish executive was furious over several controversial refereeing decisions, including a denied penalty appeal and a red card for Canadian defender Derek Cornelius.

Marseille, currently second in Ligue 1, were trailing 1-0 when referee Jeremy Stinat waved away their penalty claim just before half-time. Their frustrations grew when Cornelius received a second yellow card in the 61st minute, leaving them a man down before conceding two late goals.

Longoria was not alone in his criticism. Former Marseille striker Fabrizio Ravanelli, now an advisor at the club, also slammed the officiating.

Marseille had already objected to Stinat's appointment before the match, as he had been the fourth official in their French Cup loss to Lille, a game that saw their sporting director Medhi Benatia suspended for three months.