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One man was sent off + a kill! De Zerbi angrily complained to the referee: He is not suitable for officiating this level of competition.

1:04pm, 23 October 2025Football

October 23rd After Marseille lost 1-2 to Sporting CP in the Champions League away game, Marseille head coach De Zerbi accepted an interview. He expressed strong dissatisfaction with the referee's decisions in this game, especially when Emerson was sent off for a second yellow card for diving before the end of the first half.

Q: How do you evaluate the referees in this game?

De Zerbi: In my opinion, we paid the price for the referee's mistakes. I didn't like the way this game was officiated. I don't think this referee is suitable for this level of refereeing.

Question: Will it be difficult for the team to fight with one less player?

De Zerbi: No, I believe that even if 10 people fought, we did not suffer too much. There aren’t many other good opportunities. They replaced some quality and physical players. Even though there was one person missing, I was quite calm at the time.

Q: You replaced Vermeulen and Greenwood at halftime. What were your considerations?

De Zerbi: We had to defend with a five-back formation. Between Greenwood and Paishon, Paishon is the one who has more characteristics on both offense and defense. Last season, when we played against Lyon with 10 men, Greenwood struggled in the centre-forward position.

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