Ligue 1 referee Tony Chapron suspended after kicking out at Nantes player before sending him off vs PSG

Ligue 1 referee Tony Chapron has apologised for his actions after an extraordinary end to Nantes' match against Paris Saint-Germain which saw the match official attempt to kick a player before sending him off.

Nantes defender Diego Carlos' dismissal has been overturned after Chapron apologised for the controversial end to Sunday's game. Late in Nantes' 1-0 loss, Chapron, having been knocked to the ground in an accidental collision with the Nantes defender, kicked out at Carlos before showing him a second yellow card.

The referee has been stood down from duty "until further notice", starting from his scheduled assignment for Wednesday's Ligue 1 match between Angers and Troyes, and will face a disciplinary hearing with the French football league (LFP).

But Carlos will be clear to play against Toulouse the same evening after the second booking was rescinded by the LFP on Chapron's advice.

An LFP statement on Monday afternoon read: "The LFP disciplinary commission received early this afternoon Tony Chapron's report concerning the match between FC Nantes and Paris St Germain.

"After reading the report, in which Tony Chapron confirmed having reviewed the incident that Diego Carlos did not intentionally make contact with him, the commission decided to overturn the second yellow card shown to the player.

"As a result, Diego Carlos is available to line up against Toulouse on Wednesday."

That at least will please Nantes, who said in a statement earlier on Monday on their website: "FC Nantes has asked the LFP disciplinary commission to immediately annul the second booking for Diego Carlos so that he can play in the next league game this Wednesday, January 17."

The LFP added that Chapron's case will be studied in a meeting of the commission this Thursday.

In a statement released to French news agency AFP, Chapron wrote: "During the Nantes-PSG match I was barged by Nantes player Diego Carlos.

"As a result of the impact I felt a sharp pain from a recent injury. I reacted badly by moving my leg towards the player.

"I have sent a report to the (LFP) disciplinary commission so that the (second) booking received by the player can be withdrawn, because having seen the images his action did not seem deliberate."

Pascal Garibian, the French Football Federation's technical director for referees, criticised Chapron's "loss of control" in the incident.

"His action was unacceptable," Garibian told L'Equipe. "I will not say more than that, it is for the LFP disciplinary commission to decide on.

"It was a bad reaction. He lost control of his emotions in the context of the fall.

"As a provisional measure, he will not be available to take charge of matches until the end of the (disciplinary) process."

The incident overshadowed a match which was settled in PSG's favour by Angel Di Maria's 12th-minute goal.

Angry Nantes president Waldemar Kita told L'Equipe after the match: "It's a gag.

"I got 20 text messages from all over the world telling me the referee was a joke.

"What do you want me to say? If I talk too much I will be called before the disciplinary commission. We don't have the right to say anything.

"It's scandalous to see that. He gives a red card to a player who did nothing. He needs to go back to school. It's amateurish.

"I've never seen anything like it. He needs to be suspended for six months. If we did it, we would be banned for six months."

Additional reporting by the Press Association.