LFP Official Further Explains Why Di Maria Received a Four-Game Suspension

After a lengthy wait, the Ligue de Football Professionnel handed out a four-game suspension to Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Angel Di Maria earlier this week for spitting at Olympique de Marseille defender Alvaro Gonzalez during the recent Le Classique contest.

There was controversy over the LFP’s decision to give Di Maria just a four-game suspension. Many called for the Argentine to be sidelined for more games, especially considering that he had just recovered from the coronavirus earlier this month.

Sebastien Deneux, chairman of the LFP’s Disciplinary Committee, believes that the four-game suspension was a just punishment for the midfield talent. He clarified to L’Equipe (via Culture PSG) on why Di Maria received this suspension.

“We considered that there had indeed been spitting in the direction of the opposing player,” Deneuz said. “We also took in considering that Di Maria’s gesture was in reaction to the attitude of the Marseille player in an extremely tense context. It was also taken into account the rather favorable disciplinary record of the Parisian player. In the end, we therefore estimated that it was worth a little less than the reference scale which is six matches.”

So far, there have been no reports over whether PSG may push to appeal the LFP’s decision. For now, Di Maria is currently slated to miss the team’s upcoming four Ligue 1 fixtures. Considering that Di Maria has been its top performer so far this season, manager Thomas Tuchel will need other talents to step up in his absence.

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