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Nice boss Frédéric Antonetti has claimed that referees are biased towards northern teams after watching his side lose 1-0 to Rennes on Sunday.
The Côte d'Azur outfit seemed to have the upper hand until Cameroonian defender Bill Tchato was dismissed for a second bookable challenge on the hour mark - and two minutes later Alexander Frei scored the winner for the hosts.
"The referee (M. Ennjimi) gave out far too many yellow cards," declared Antonetti afterwards. "Once again I've got regrets: all season teams from the south have been refereed in a different way to teams from the north.
"The referee changed the game and that's the fifth time this season that it's happened to us. I didn't think Rennes were better than us, it's just that the northerners have a very big advantage."
For his part, Rennes boss Laszlo Boloni steered clear of the controversy and called the result his side's best win of the campaign so far.
"The match was very tense and difficult. Even down to 10 men, our opponents were dangerous," he explained.
"Two weeks ago I said I love to win 5-0 and 6-0 but that I also love 1-0 victories where you sense the suffering and perspiration. In that sense, this was our greatest win at home this season.
"I hope now that we can forget the disappointment of our exit from the UEFA Cup."
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