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Football

Collina's refereeing upsets French


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The moment that Marseille's UEFA Cup final ambitions came to an end

PARIS, France (Reuters) -- Marseille president Christophe Bouchet plans to write to European soccer's governing body regarding Pierluigi Collina's refereeing in the UEFA Cup final.

The French hopes lost 2-0 to Valencia on Wednesday after goalkeeper Fabien Barthez was sent off for bringing down Spanish striker Mista inside the box.

"It's not a refereeing decision, it's the end of the game," Bouchet told l'Equipe. "I was sitting next to UEFA president Lennart Johansson and he said he was dumbfounded too."

Commentators in France questioned the rule which inflicts a triple sanction on a player for such a foul -- dismissal followed by a penalty and a match suspension.

"I've said for a long time that it was not a good rule. It's a triple sanction. And it's a little bit too much for just one foul," Michel Platini told sports daily l'Equipe.

Bouchet also accused Italian Collina, widely considered as one of the world's best referees, of being too friendly with Valencia players.

"Collina greeted the Spaniards one after the other before the game and even kissed (fullback Amedeo) Carboni. At the end of the game, the Spaniards all cheered him.

"Carboni went to the referees' dressing room after the match and came out without his shirt," he said.

"I'm going to write to UEFA to tell them about these facts," he added.

Dehu deal

Former France international defender Frederic Dehu will play for Olympique Marseille next season, French daily Le Parisien said on Thursday.

The 31-year-old Paris St Germain player, who has also played for RC Lens and Barcelona, will become the first PSG captain to move to their fierce rivals.

The report says Dehu has signed a two-year contract with Marseille, but had asked both clubs to keep the transfer secret until after the French Cup final between PSG and Chateauroux on May 29.


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