Nantes head coach Ahmed Kantari launched a fierce attack on Brazilian star Endrick, Olympique Lyon’s striker, following Saturday evening’s Ligue 1 clash between the two sides.

Olympique Lyon secured a valuable 1-0 away victory over Nantes in the 21st round of the French league, temporarily climbing to third place in the standings with 42 points, after recording their fifth consecutive league win.

Lyon, who strengthened their squad with Brazilian star Endrick—on loan from Real Madrid in January—managed to win the match despite playing with ten men after Endrick was sent off in the 61st minute following a violent challenge.

Nantes Coach: Endrick Is Aggressive and His Dismissal Was Inevitable

From the second minute of the match, Endrick received a yellow card, before the referee showed him a straight red card in the 61st minute after a strong tackle and striking an opponent. Despite that, Lyon went on to secure the victory.

After the match, Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca strongly criticized the refereeing decision, claiming that officials failed to properly protect Endrick and that the Brazilian was repeatedly targeted by defenders and subjected to aggressive challenges, particularly against Nantes.

In response, Nantes coach Ahmed Kantari sharply dismissed Fonseca’s attempt to defend his player, stating that “Endrick is a violent player and caused a Nantes defender to leave the pitch injured following the incident that led to his dismissal.”

Kantari said:

• “They say Endrick isn’t sufficiently protected — that’s a strange statement, especially since he was the one who committed the foul. The Nantes player was the one who got injured. Was the red card deserved? Absolutely.”

• He added: “I would have preferred my player not to get injured and instead commit minor fouls like Endrick, rather than the opposite. There was no plan to stop Endrick with violent challenges. Of course, when you face players of such quality, you take measures to limit their danger. Endrick is an aggressive player, he injured my player, and his red card was deserved.”

Following the defeat, Nantes sit 16th in the Ligue 1 table with 14 points from 21 matches, having suffered their 13th loss of the season and their fourth consecutive defeat.