Mid-table Girondins Bordeaux have reacted angrily to the league banning assistant coach Eric Bedouet (pictured) from the bench for the rest of the season for verbally abusing a referee in last month's defeat by Caen.
He will serve the first day of the sanction in Sunday's home game against Monaco.
"The commission did what it thought it had to but I find Eric Bedouet's sanction very exaggerated," Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud, also banned from the bench for a month, told Reuters.
Leaders Lille have laid a new pitch ahead of Sunday's visit of Valenciennes with work being completed late on Thursday, the club said in a statement.
The poor surface at the Stade Metropole had begun to undermine the team's performances so the Mastiffs have acted quickly.
Lille keeper Mickael Landreau was voted French footballers' association player of the month for February, the club said.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Antoine Kombouare has maintained his optimistic view of the club's form despite Thursday's 2-1 Europa League first leg defeat at Benfica.
"It's a very good result," he told reporters. "In a week I hope we can turn it round. Beating Benfica 1-0 would please me greatly."
PSG, beaten at Auxerre last weekend to see their title hopes suffer a blow, host Montpellier on Sunday.
Title-chasing Olympique Lyon travel to Sochaux on Saturday looking for their eighth straight win at their opponents' ground. Claude Puel may rest some key players ahead of next week's Champions League last 16 second leg at Real Madrid.
Playmaker Yoann Gourcuff's ingrowing toenail is a minor irritant.
