Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, known as AJ Auxerre, have demanded answers from French football authorities after a suspected goal-line technology failure awarded Le Mans a disputed opening goal in Sunday's 1-1 Ligue 1 draw.
The controversy erupted in the 48th minute when a header by Le Mans player Lucas Buades, which Auxerre goalkeeper Paul Nardi struggled to stop, caused the central referee's watch to vibrate. Connected to the goal-line technology system, the watch signalled to referee Willy Delajod that the goal was valid, rather than leaving the call to the match official or his video assistant referees alone.
However, none of the broadcast camera angles made available showed that the ball had completely crossed the Auxerre goal line. The incident immediately sparked protests from the Auxerre bench, who were convinced that the tracking technology, which has been regarded as infallible since its introduction in 2012 by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), had malfunctioned.
VAR review and Will Still computer glitch claims
Video assistant referees intervened to alert Delajod to a potential clear and obvious error and expressed genuine doubts over Le Mans' opening goal. Called to review the situation, Delajod decided not to overrule the goal-line technology tool because he lacked a sufficiently convincing replay angle.
While the French refereeing authority, the Direction de l'arbitrage, had not yet offered an official explanation for the incident, Auxerre representatives spoke out strongly to the media. Auxerre head coach Will Still lamented that because the video assistant referee did not have a good enough angle to go against the main referee's technology, the officials chose to validate the goal.
Speaking to the broadcaster Ligue 1 + after being shown the 3D virtual graphic that theoretically placed the ball just behind the line, Still swore that the object detected in the play was actually Paul Nardi's glove. The Auxerre manager added that the referees told him they had suffered an unprecedented computer glitch in which only two of their four watches buzzed, and he insisted that the camera view from behind the goal showed it was impossible for the ball to have gone in.
Djibril Cisse and Paul Nardi reaction
Djibril Cisse, who now serves on the Auxerre coaching staff as an assistant coach responsible for the club's strikers, shared that same behind-the-goal camera angle on his X social media account. The footage appeared to confirm that the ball had not crossed the line.
In a sharp comment alongside the post, Cisse asked at what point the ball had gone in and told officials to stop the nonsense. He complained that a decision had gone against Auxerre once again and said it was starting to become far too much.
Nardi, the player best placed on the pitch to judge the save, told Ligue 1 + on Sunday that he had the feeling 300 percent that there was no goal. He concluded with an ironic remark that robots might be better than humans.
AJ Auxerre demand answers from the LFP
On Monday morning, AJ Auxerre published an official statement condemning what the club called an unacceptable failure with major consequences by the goal-line technology system. The club pointed out that the system costs the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) around 1.4 million euros per year.
Auxerre, who currently sit 12th in Ligue 1, stated that they expect clear answers, concrete guarantees and, if necessary, immediate corrective measures from the LFP and the Direction de l'arbitrage so that such a situation does not happen again.
Goal-line technology rules and Ligue 1 refereeing disputes
Under the Laws of the Game governed by IFAB, a goal is scored only when the whole ball passes completely over the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar. Goal-line technology uses stadium cameras to track the ball and send an instant vibration alert to the referee's watch, producing a 3D graphic for television broadcasts.
Based in Burgundy, AJ Auxerre won the French top-flight title in 1996. Their current staff brings together Anglo-Belgian manager Still, who previously coached Stade de Reims and RC Lens in Ligue 1, and former France striker Cisse, who started his career at Auxerre and twice topped the league scoring charts.
The disputed draw against Le Mans was the headline incident on a Sunday marked by wider refereeing controversy in Ligue 1, the top tier of French professional football overseen by the LFP. In another match on the same day, Le Havre Athletic Club coach Didier Digard and his players left frustrated after nearly completing a comeback from 4-0 down in a 4-3 defeat against Olympique de Marseille, after referee Clement Turpin declined to award Le Havre a penalty for two contentious handball incidents in the Marseille penalty area during stoppage time.
