L’Équipe have revealed that Nicolás Tagliafico (31) was dropped for Olympique Lyonnais’ defeat against Clermont Foot on Sunday after attending Argentina’s Rugby World Cup semi-final defeat against New Zealand on Friday.
Tagliafico’s absence from Lyon’s squad was initially attributed to a late return from international duty by the club. The Argentinian international was absent as Lyon lost 2-1 against Clermont Foot. It means that Fabio Grosso is still without a win since joining Les Gones in mid-September, and the defeat against their Rhône–Auvergne rivals sees Lyon drop to the foot of the Ligue 1 table.
Amidst the crisis at the Groupama Stadium, there are reports that Grosso is already starting to lose the dressing room, with RMC Sport’s Jerôme Rothen stating that players are feeling “alienated.” Tagliafico has now been disciplined by the club. He was expected to be in the squad for Sunday night’s match, but he has been punished for attending Argentina’s Rugby World Cup defeat to New Zealand at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday night.
Tagliafico has responded to L’Équipe’s report, denying that he had been sanctioned, but did admit to being dropped due to his presence in Paris on Friday. “We spoke about it with the manager and he decided not to play me. Of course, I accepted that. He also told me that he didn’t like me going to watch the rugby match on the Friday afternoon that we had off. I respect him and the most important thing is to stay united and strong. Lots of people know my commitment to the teams that I play in. I’ll continue to give everything every day, as always,” responded Tagliafico.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
