Champions League club Lille says defender Santos ruptured ACL

LILLE, France (AP) – Champions League club Lille remarked Monday it is considering legal action over an injury to defender Tiago Santos who is due to miss the rest of the season.

Key points

• It is a second ACL injury for Portugal Under-21 international Santos who damaged his left knee in October 2024.
• Lille is second in Ligue 1 after beating Le Havre 1-0 and plays at Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday.
• Santos played the full game in Lille's opening 3-2 loss at home to Real Betis five weeks ago.
• Lille did not identify Le Havre midfielder Amir Richardson who was not shown a yellow or red card for the challenge.
• Lille remarked it asked the French league and soccer federation to explain the video review process by Saturday's match office-holders analyzing the incident.

In practice, the 24-year-old right back ruptured the ACL in his right knee, the club confirmed, in an "uncontrolled and dangerous" tackle Saturday by a Le Havre player during the Ligue 1 game. Lille did not identify Le Havre midfielder Amir Richardson who was not shown a yellow or red card for the challenge.

Lille remarked it asked the French league and soccer federation to explain the video review process by Saturday's match office-holders analyzing the incident. The club suggested the tackle justified a direct red card.

"The circumstances of the incident and the lack of any sanction raise serious questions for the club, " remarked Lille, adding it has asked the league to refer the incident to its disciplinary panel.

Santos played the full game in Lille's opening 3-2 loss at home to Real Betis five weeks ago. See AP's full soccer coverage here.

Taken together, the developments around champions League club Lille says defender Santos ruptured ACL point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.