Ahmed Kantari, Valenciennes’ coach, had the opportunity to compete in the Coupe de France final in his first season as head coach. However, Valenciennes, led by the 38-year-old Moroccan coach, fell to Lyon on Tuesday, April 3, with a score of 0-3. Kantari believes that referee Stéphanie Frappart’s decisions determined the outcome of the match. « We scored a goal, there was clearly no foul. We have to speak the truth. They scored a goal from a penalty when it was Lacazette who collided with my defender (Joffrey Cuffaut). I won’t criticize the referee, everyone will form their own opinion and take responsibility, but undoubtedly, when we look at the first half that we played, we can see that this incident had a significant impact on the outcome, » said the Moroccan coach. Eliminated in the semi-finals, Valenciennes must now focus on their nearly impossible task of avoiding relegation in Ligue 2.
