After Le Havre's loss to Marseille in the eighth round of Ligue 1, manager Didier Digard expressed his dissatisfaction with the yellow card given to one of his players, Ayumu Seko. The match was held at Marseille's home on the 25th, and although Le Havre had a large 0-4 lead in the early stages, Kaito Mizuta's assist temporarily brought them up to 3-4, leaving them with the possibility of a major comeback until the end of the game. In the end, they lost 3-4, leaving Le Havre at the bottom of the league without a win.
After the game, manager Degar said in an interview that Seko's yellow card caused a rift between him and the referee. He said that more consideration should have been given to Seko receiving the card after 90 minutes when he was playing catch-up, commenting that he felt the card was a "double punishment." Degar emphasized that the card could have been avoided and called it a big loss for the team.
The card was caused by Mizuta taking a shot inside the area in stoppage time of the second half, and although the referee judged that it touched an opponent's hand, it was ruled as a no-hands by VAR. Seko expressed his opinion to the referee, but this was seen as a protest and he was given a warning. The card had been given a suspended suspension due to Seko's previous red card, but since it had already been served in Round 7, this warning meant he would not be able to play in the match against Paris Saint-Germain on the 30th.
Degar is concerned that the cards limit his team's tactical options and wants to improve relations with referees. Le Havre will need to maintain their performance in the upcoming games and aim to break away from the bottom of the table. In the next match, they will be required to take on Paris Saint-Germain with a player composition that is not affected by the card.