Paris (AFP)
The League is thinking about it, the main stakeholders are for: French football plans to innovate by equipping referees with microphones in order to broadcast their discussions during television broadcasts, in order to improve pedagogy but also the television experience of spectators.
The circle of Ligue 1 referees seems in favor of such a step forward, since the majority of them have declared themselves inclined to be "sounded" in a poll unveiled by L'Équipe.
A working group headed by the Professional Football League (LFP) has been working on the subject for a few weeks.
To do this, it will be necessary to convince the International Board (Ifab), the very picky guardian of the laws of the game, which must give its agreement for any arbitration development.
The purpose of such equipment?
As in rugby, hear the referees' explanations of their decisions and discussions with the players, to better understand the progress of matches.
The French rugby championship has been sounded since the 1990s, and Franck Maciello, national director of refereeing at the FFR, sees only advantages: "In rugby, the rules are sometimes complex and the fact of being able to explaining to the greatest number live, it's super educational, "he told AFP.
A clarity that may be lacking on certain decisions in the world of football, especially since the emergence of video referee assistance (VAR): the public only has the images and does not hear the discussions between referees present in the field and those in front of their screens.
"The next step is to make communication with the VAR audible," said the director of world football development at Fifa, Frenchman Arsène Wenger.
Former coach Arsène Wenger, director of football development at Fifa, on December 17, 2020 at the headquarters of the authority in Zurich VALERIANO DI DOMENICO POOL / AFP / Archives
"Then we will move on," he said during a meeting with the press at the headquarters of La Poste in Paris, ahead of the Arbitration Days, which begin on October 20.
- "Nothing to hide" -
Bertrand Layec is also in favor.
The former French international referee is in a good position to comment on the question: in 2003, he officiated in the Coupe de France final between Auxerre and PSG, equipped with a microphone.
"It was an opportunity for us to make the arbitration function a little more human, closer to the people, to show that it is not so simple, that there is an environment, a context, sometimes a lot of disputes. 'you have to constantly manage,' he said.
Before having to manage them as referee, Gaël Angoula was on the other side, among the most vehement players (Bastia, Angers, Nîmes).
"If I had been recorded, my mother would have cried blood," he quipped.
Russian referee Sergei Karasev talks with his colleagues in charge of video, during the Porto-Liverpool match at Dragon Stadium, September 28, 2021 MIGUEL RIOPA AFP / Archives
"I am for if we talk about the sound system of the referee and the players. A player who comes to address us will have a different behavior", says the referee of Ligue 2, also speaking within the framework of the Days of arbitration.
For Joël Quiniou, also a former international referee and passed through the consultancy box on television, the sound system should even be accessible from the stands.
"The public is taking part in the game, they can wonder why a player was sent off, why his team took a penalty. We have nothing to hide on that."
The SAFE (Union of Elite Football Referees) says it wants to be an actor in the process, by taking part in the working group led by the LFP.
Contacted by AFP, the union must wait to be certain of the proposals to position itself.
- "Mastering communication" -
If the world of arbitration does not seem reluctant to equip itself with microphones, this should not be done without conditions for the pioneer Bertrand Layec.
"As was done in 2003 for the final, someone must be able during the meeting to master communication, to choose sections of communication useful for the viewer", he recommends to AFP.
"As with any activity, there are some things that are good to hear and some things that are not."
The technical director of arbitration Pascal Garibian during the presentation to reporters of the VAR device before Nice-Monaco at the Allianz Riviera, January 9, 2018 VALERY HACHE AFP / Archives
To establish this framework, broadcasters must play a central role: Canal + has been at the center of the system in rugby since the 1990s, and TF1 initiated the experiment attempted in 2003.
But Bertrand Layec recalls that any development will not take place without the agreement of Ifab.
"We will have to wait for the decisions from up there, but today it is + niet +".
© 2021 AFP