Marseille president Pablo Longoria 'regrets' a corruption claim.

Following his outburst on Saturday night, Olympique de Marseille president Pablo Longoria admitted that there is "no corruption in Ligue 1".
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The president reacted strongly after Derek Cornelius was sent off in the 3-0 loss to AJ Auxerre. Marseille were reduced to ten men after the Canadian centre-back received a second yellow card during the second half.

According to La Provence, Longoria 'flew into a rage' after the match, telling a dozen journalists, "This is corruption! I have never seen anything like it. You can write it down: Pablo Longoria claims it is corruption."

The president went on to say, "Everything has been organised since Balerdi's third yellow card [suspended for the match against Auxerre]." It's planned, and it's rigged. Four European referees have messaged me that Merlin has a penalty, and the most scandalous thing is Cornelius' red card."

The president of the French Football Association and the French Referees Union both condemned Longoria's comments. At the same time, Ligue 1 referees stated that they would take the matter to court as soon as today: "The term corruption has been used. A red line has been crossed; this is unacceptable."

Longoria apologized for using the term "corrupt" in an interview with AFP, stating that it was inappropriate. I am extremely self-critical. I cannot accept giving this kind of image. A club president cannot act like that. Nothing justifies that, and I'm not satisfied with myself."

He tried to explain his reaction, saying that he still wants to see referees improve: "Yes, there are still things that are unclear and need to be clarified. And that is what really irritates me. We need to improve a lot of things to prevent confusion for everyone."

He concluded, "Even if nothing justifies [the reaction], you must understand how you became angry. My primary responsibility is to defend my club. There have been several refereeing decisions this season in which I believe OM has been disadvantaged."

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