Tunisia manager Bertrand Marchand said that referee Kokou Djaoupe was the main reason behind Esperance's humiliating defeat against Mazembe in the first-leg of the Champions League final. The Togolese official harshly sent off Esperance defender Mohamed Ben Mansour, before awarding a shocking penalty as well as allowing a much-disputed goal to the home side in a 5-0 drubbing Sunday. "This game seemed to be run by a local referee not a foreign one," the Frenchman told Tunisian paper Assabah. "He looked to me as a Congolese referee rather than a Togolese one." Though, Marchand admitted the Tunisian champions were outplayed by the African title holders. "Mazembe were much better throughout the game. Esperance players and manager couldn't react at any time of the game," he said. "Three years ago, I said that Mazembe will dominate African football and I was correct."
