In the 39th minute of the Euro U-21 qualifier Spain – Austria, French referee Nicolas Rainville got injured and required medical attention. After two minutes, the medical staff advised him not to continue, so he was replaced by the fourth official, Stephane Jochem.
Very interesting, this was the first ever international appointment for Jochem, 35, who had his first Ligue 1 match only a month ago! He actually spoiled his top flight debut by sending off the wrong player during the game Valenciennes – Toulouse. The disaster struck in the 38th minute when Gregory Pujol whipped in a cross from the right and Toulouse defender Steeve Yago hauled back a home forward trying to tuck away the centre. Jochem correctly awarded the penalty but dumbfounded everyone watching when he appeared to show Yago the red card before deciding to send off Uros Spajic. The referee shrugged off the controversy afterwards by blaming his fourth official for the mess. After the game, Stephane Jochem admitted his error. “His initial decision to send off Yago was correct, but then he was influenced by his team, through the communication system. According to the wrong information he received, Jochem ended up sending off Spajic. He described the situation in a supplementary report sent to the discipline committee”, said Pascal Garibian, the new Technical Director of French Refereeing.
Source: Metro