LILLE — Lille are considering legal action after defender Tiago Santos suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and meniscal tear in his right knee following an "uncontrolled and dangerous" tackle during their 1-0 win over Le Havre on Saturday. The 24-year-old, who has started every match for Lille in Ligue 1 this season, was carried off on a stretcher after being tackled from behind by Le Havre midfielder Amir Richardson in the first half, with the challenge given as a foul but without a yellow or red card.
Lille have asked the league to refer the incident to its disciplinary panel, arguing the tackle should have been a red card because it was made "from behind, uncontrolled and in a dangerous manner". "Beyond the injury itself, the circumstances in which it occurred and the lack of sanction raise serious questions for the club," the club said in a statement.
"LOSC has referred the matter to the French Football Federation and the Professional Football League in order to obtain an examination of the handling of this action by the refereeing team and the video assistance," Lille added. "LOSC is studying the possible remedies and reserves the right to take any legal action to obtain compensation for its damages." The club said Santos will be unable to play for "several months". Le Havre responded that the club and Richardson had expressed their support for Santos in his recovery, but backed the decision of the match referee and the video assistant referee and questioned Lille's move to "punish its player after the fact, since such a decision would fall outside the current regulations".
"HAC respects all fellow Ligue 1 clubs and expects the same respect in return," Le Havre added. BBC Sport has contacted the LFP, which runs the French professional leagues, for comment. Lille are second in Ligue 1 and face Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday.