Lille have asked the French Football Federation (FFF) and the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) to review the refereeing of the tackle that left right-back Tiago Santos with a ruptured cruciate ligament, and want the LFP president to refer the incident to the disciplinary committee.
The club confirmed on Monday that Santos, carried off on a stretcher in the 17th minute of Saturday's 1-0 Ligue 1 win over Le Havre, has a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, along with meniscus damage.
The diagnosis
Lille said tests confirmed the injury, which it called serious and which will need a long rehabilitation. It is a cruel repeat for the Portuguese defender, who tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee in October 2024. Santos had won back the right-back spot this season and has scored twice in Ligue 1.
Why Lille are angry
Le Havre's Amir Richardson made the challenge, which Lille describe as a tackle from behind that was uncontrolled and dangerous. No card was shown and VAR did not intervene. Lille said the incident was "visible in real time" and filmed from several angles, yet "no sanction was pronounced, not even a warning".
The club argues the tackle deserved a straight red card whatever its consequences. It also points to a second heavy challenge by the same player on Dilane Bakwa a few minutes later, which also went unpunished. Lille noted that Santos now faces many months out, while the player who tackled him can play in the next league round because no disciplinary action has been taken.
What happens next
Lille have formally asked the FFF and LFP to examine how the referee and VAR handled the incident and to explain the decision, saying it appears to go against the Laws of the Game, player safety and sporting fairness. The club says it is studying possible appeals, reserves the right to take legal action over its sporting and financial losses, and will support Santos if he takes action of his own.
Any LFP disciplinary referral would decide whether Richardson faces a retrospective ban. On the pitch, Lille, second in Ligue 1 and a point behind leaders Monaco, must now reshuffle their right side without Santos.