• Desired since January 19 by the French Football Federation (FFF), the live sound system of French referees for the next season of Ligue 1 has just been refused by the International football association board (Ifab).
  • The new era of post-Pascal Garibian refereeing is still marked by a real curiosity, with the unprecedented authorization for referees to defend their decisions, if they wish, in front of the media.
  • Jérémie Pignard and Abdelatif Kherradji did not hesitate, respectively after Nantes-Troyes (2-2) on Sunday and Bordeaux-Grenoble (3-0) on Monday, to come and decipher controversial situations.

It was enough for us to follow the championship of France two days in a row, Sunday and Monday, to hear more referees speak to the media than in twenty years of existence of our Ligue 1. We hardly exaggerate as the interventions of Jérémie Pignard and Abdelatif Kherradji, respectively on Prime Video and BeIN Sports, seemed unusual, and brought a breath of fresh air to our football. "If it's really the bottom of the biceps, it's hand, it depends on the muscle, slipped with a smile Jérémie Pignard to justify his choice to grant the Nantes equalizer on the gong, Sunday against Troyes (2-2), despite a potential hand of Mostafa Mohamed on the spot. There, a circumference of the ball clearly touches the sleeve of the player, so this hand is not sanctionable. »

Rebelote in Ligue 2 Monday when Abdelatif Kherradji quietly explained why he had granted the goal of the Bordeaux Zuriko Davitashvili against Grenoble (3-0), despite a second ball being strangely in full surface iséroise. "I felt that the actors had not been bothered by this second ball so I let the action unfold," he said. Two symbolic illustrations of the opening desired by Antony Gautier, director of arbitration since January, and by Stéphane Lannoy, in charge of the professional sector. The two new referents of French arbitration gave their agreement to Jérémie Pignard and Abdelatif Kherradji before they dissected their controversial decision.

[📺LIVE] ⚽️ #Ligue2BKT #FCGBGF38

👀 The referee of the match, Abdelatif Kherradji, came to the microphone of @JferreiraBeIN to explain his decision to award the second Bordeaux goal despite the presence of two balls in the box! #beINLigue2 #Interview pic.twitter.com/i87OXuBA41

— beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) April 24, 2023

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Media training and crisis communication on the agenda

"Referees have always been subject to a very strict obligation of reserve," notes Eric Borghini, president of the Federal Commission of Referees and member of the Executive Committee of the French Football Federation (FFF). Today, they have a freedom of speech that I personally wanted, but they will be trained by media training and crisis communication courses. The message will have to be standardized for next season. Personally, I did not understand anything about Jérémie Pignard's sleeve story. But just talking deflated the problem that day. »

A major breakthrough, even if the FFF would have liked it to be accompanied by a live sound system for the referees. Six weeks ago, on the occasion of the OL-FC Nantes match (1-1), Benoît Millot's speeches during the match were broadcast by Prime Video, as will be the case for the 41-year-old referee on Saturday (21 pm), on France 2 and BeIN Sports, during the final of the Coupe de France between Nantes and Toulouse. But each time, this sound system of the referee only appears in reports broadcast in delay, as had sometimes been the case on other Cup finals (who has forgotten Brandao's "I didn't touch it"?).


The sound system launched for good at the 2026 World Cup?

Because the International football association board (Ifab), the body setting the rules of the game worldwide, has just refused the requests of the FFF, dating from January 19, to sound live the referees of this final of the Coupe de France and the entirety of next season in Ligue 1. "The lfab will want to be the first experimenter on a Fifa tournament like the next World Cup," says Eric Borghini. The Executive Committee wanted to experiment next season with a permanent live sound system in L1, while the Ifab may choose a partial sound system, for example in the event of VAR intervention. " For the president of the Federal Commission of Referees, the interest of such a change would be obvious, both for the image of refereeing and for that of football.

People imagine that it is the war from the beginning to the end of the matches between referee and players. But when I attend Ligue 1 matches, I have an earpiece to listen live to the exchanges and these are always very correct. It should be noted that for more than a year, the players no longer defend themselves before the disciplinary commission by mentioning alleged provocations of referees. Clubs know that all conversations are recorded. Mind you, it's like a judge talking badly to a defendant. »

Clearly not being master of the sound file, the FFF can however act as it pleases on the evolution of the media speeches of its referees, as proved by the last weekend of L1 and L2. "Being silent may have corresponded to a certain era of football and institutions," says Eric Borghini. But there, there are very open relationships and I myself have a real proximity with the referees. »


"A pedagogical added value" targeted

Elected best referee of Ligue 1 in 2009 and 2011, the new boss of French refereeing Antony Gautier notes that in the other major European championships, there are only "punctual initiatives" of referees in front of the media. Where the France has historically always cut the whistle to the refereeing body, like Pascal Garibian's long lease at the technical direction of refereeing of the FFF, from 2013 to last November. Finally, how have our referees experienced this forced silence during all these years?

The instructions were very clear and we did not have to have a state of mind, summarizes Antony Gautier. The only actor you never heard was the referee. Today, we have a change of era, with a desire for modernization, openness and transparency of French arbitration. Being able to communicate makes it possible to bring precise factual elements that help everyone understand. The main vocation is to provide pedagogical added value. We always accept better what we understand. »

If we have therefore been entitled, blow after blow, to the releases of Jérémie Pignard and Abdelatif Kherradji, we should not necessarily expect such a media rhythm in the coming months. "These steps must be part of a framework and remain one-off episodes, when the events of a match justify it, continues Antony Gautier. I do not want us to systematize these speeches, and that the referee shows up at each mixed zone. There will be "no obligation" for a referee to respond to even one media solicitation each season.



"The goal is to humanize arbitration"

Eric Borghini, who imagines that "the broadcaster will always be a priority", is on the same line: "We will deepen the subject in order to formalize as well as possible this word of our referees for next season. For example, Pablo Longoria advised me not to make the referees talk hot after a match. The weekend's experiments, in this context, seem to have been successful, even if they were obviously not the most explosive posters of our championship. While waiting for the live sound system (in 2026-2027 then?), will the opening ideas for the refereeing body help reconciliation between all French football and its referees, from Clément Turpin to Stéphanie Frappart, via François Letexier and Jérôme Brisard?

"I call for it," agrees Antony Gautier. What drives me today is to break down the barriers around French arbitration, and I think that goes through communication. Eric Borghini concludes: "The goal is to humanize refereeing, but everyone has to play the game. Imagine if the referees were slaughtered every time they spoke... I think we are right but it remains a co-construction. To which the IFAB does not wish to join for the moment.

  • Football
  • Referee
  • Sport
  • Arbitration
  • Ligue 1
  • FFF
  • France Cup