Olympique Marseille's president Pablo Longoria will miss his club's push for next season's Champions League after he was handed a 15-match ban for unleashing a post-match tirade in which he called the officiating referee 'corrupt' and demeaning the status of France's top division.
Longoria launched his rant against the referee Jérémy Stinat after Marseille lost 3-0 to Auxerre on Saturday night at the Stade Abbé-Deschamps.
The 39-year-old Spaniard was aggrieved that Stinat had refused Marseille's appeals for a penalty and also sent off the team's defender Derek Cornelius for two bookable offences.
Longoria's sporting advisor Fabrizio Ravanelli labelled the performance scandalous. He was banned for three games from next Tuesday.
Two days after the rant, Longoria apologised for his behaviour in an interview with the French news agency AFP.
"The form wasn't appropriate and I regret using that word," he said.
French football chiefs to decide fate of Marseille boss over 'corruption' slur
Apology
"I'm very self-critical, and I can't accept this type of image. A club president can't behave like that. Nothing justifies the form and I'm not happy with myself.
"Barely a month ago, the ethics council had warned Mr Longoria after he made comments that discredited refereeing during the Marseille-Strasbourg match on 19 January," said the council's statement.
Read also:
Marseille host PSG amid battle against homophobic chanting on terraces
Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille and Lille discover their European fates
Prix Marc-Vivien Foé: Marseille's Aubameyang wins trophy for a second time
