Refereeing authority disavows Turpin over missed penalty in Monaco-Lens

The Technical Refereeing Authority officially disavowed Clément Turpin on Tuesday, ruling that he made a judgment error during Monaco-Lens (2-1), played Friday in Matchday 5 of Ligue 1. The body attached to the French Football Federation determined that a penalty should have been awarded to RC Lens.

The incident occurred in the 18th minute. Lensois midfielder Michaël Cuisance fired a shot in the Monaco penalty area; the ball struck the arm of ASM defender Sadibou Sané. The VAR alerted the referee, who reviewed the footage before ultimately deciding against any sanction. The score was 0-0 at the time.

In its weekly statement, the Technical Refereeing Authority left no room for ambiguity: “At the moment of contact with the ball, the arm of Monaco defender No. 72 (Sadibou Sané) is in a position that artificially increases the surface area covered by the defender’s body. By having his arm in such a position, the defender takes the risk of touching the ball with it and, thus, of being sanctioned.”

The authority concluded that Lens should have been awarded a penalty, potentially resulting in them taking the lead. Monaco ultimately won 2-1, leaving the Artésiens with the bitterness of a refereeing decision recognized as faulty in hindsight — despite the use of video assistance.