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Trophy of Champions: Referee Pignard Under Fire From Both Sides After Lens-PSG

Two red cards, an arbitration report deemed too harsh by PSG, and a fiery outburst from Lens's sporting director at half-time: Jérémie Pignard drew criticism after Lens's 1-0 victory.

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Trophy of Champions: Referee Pignard Under Fire From Both Sides After Lens-PSG
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Jérémie Pignard became the central figure of the Trophy of Champions won 1-0 by RC Lens against PSG on Sunday, with two disciplinary decisions that inflamed both dressing rooms.

The most heated controversy concerns the arbitration report filed after Nuno Mendes’s expulsion in the 87th minute — the Portuguese defender’s first red card since joining the club. According to RMC Sport, PSG reviewed the document and was surprised by the harsh language used: Pignard notably accused the player of committing « a violent blow outside play ». Within the Paris club, it is stressed that the action had already begun and that Mendes was sent through on goal. PSG does not contest the sanction itself, but is puzzled by the report’s content.

Lens was not spared by the referee’s decisions either. In the first half, Pignard had sent off young Kyllian Antonio, a decision that triggered the anger of sporting director Jean-Louis Leca at half-time. « Intensity, yeah… You won’t even look at VAR. You have a gift for killing a match, » Leca said in a sequence captured on the sideline, before cutting short the exchange.

For PSG, this defeat represents a second title lost this season, after the UEFA Super Cup won against Aston Villa. The arbitration report could now fuel a disciplinary procedure against Nuno Mendes, whose suspension length remains to be determined.

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