‘If you’re blind, you have a white cane. If we have VAR, use it!’ – Laszlo Bölöni furious over refereeing decisions in Metz’s costly defeat

The head coach of FC Metz, Laszlo Bölöni, has hit out at the standard of refereeing in his side’s 3-2 loss to Stade Rennais on Saturday . The defeat has left the club in a precarious position with only two games of the campaign remaining. 

The club are in the bottom three and a victory over Rennes would have kept them level on points (but with an inferior goal difference) to Le Havre AC. And for a while, it looked as if Metz were close to achieving this goal and maintaining their pressure on Le Havre. 

However, a series of contentious refereeing decisions definitively ended Metz’s fight, and with two matches remaining, they will need to win both games to have any chance of securing safety for next season, no easy feat when they host Paris Saint-Germain on the final day . 

Bölöni’s anger at the referee was palpable during the press conference following the match, “ I don’t know whether I should scream, cry, or laugh. I cannot comment. Am I really going to talk to you and say what I feel, what is in my heart? Because if I do that, I’ll immediately buy a ticket to go to the disciplinary committee .” 

The Romanian manager continued, “ These judgements wouldn’t even pass in amateur football. ” Adding, “ It’s not easy to referee and usually when they pass judgement it’s understandable. But when someone is blind – and I’m not referring to anyone specifically – they have a white cane. If we have VAR, use it! ” 

GFFN | Nick Hartland