During the first day of Ligue 1, referee Mr. Jochem awarded a penalty to Valenciennes against Toulouse in the 37th minute for a foul by Steeve Yago on Grégory Pujol. However, the situation escalated when Uros Spajic was mistakenly sent off instead of Yago. Toulouse coach Alain Casanova addressed the incident in a press conference ahead of the second day.
Casanova criticized Yago’s behavior, stating that the Burkinabé player should have admitted his mistake and informed the referee. Casanova expressed regret for his earlier criticism of Yago, noting, “I would have liked him to admit his mistake. I should have talked to Steve first to find out what happened. Then he told me that he had denounced himself, but the referee stood by his decision. It clearly demonstrates the state of mind of the team. I apologize to him and will tell him personally. I regret what I said towards Steeve Yago.”
Following a review of the referee’s additional report, which acknowledged the erroneous identification of the player who committed the foul, the red card awarded to Uros Spajic was canceled. The LFP governing body also decided to summon Steeve Yago for a meeting on Thursday, September 5, 2013.
