Former Moroccan international Mehdi Benatia, now serving as the director of football at Olympique Marseille, and Olivier Letang, president of Lille, have been suspended by the French Football Federation's Federal Disciplinary Committee. This decision, announced on Thursday, comes in response to their conduct during the closing moments of a match at the Stade Velodrome, which concluded in a penalty shootout. As reported by L'Equipe, both officials are facing provisional suspensions as a precautionary measure. The incident began when Benatia was expelled by referee Clément Turban. The expulsion followed Benatia's criticism of the fourth official for not awarding a penalty to Marseille during a contentious moment. His frustration carried over post-match, where he continued to express his anger and dissatisfaction. On the other hand, Letang descended from the stands at the end of regulation time, physically grabbing the fourth official's arm to highlight that the allotted extra time had been significantly exceeded. While the current penalties are provisional, the situation may escalate. Both Letang and Benatia are anticipated to be summoned soon by the FFF Disciplinary Committee, which will determine the final consequences of their actions. Benatia, in particular, may face stricter sanctions. He has a history of disciplinary issues, having been suspended earlier for protesting against referees during halftime of a Ligue 1 match between Lyon and Marseille on September 22, which ended 2-3 in Marseille's favor. Following that incident, the Ligue 1 Disciplinary Committee imposed a three-match suspension along with an additional three-match suspended sentence.
