The referees’ sound system, tested during the final of the Women’s French Cup in Montpellier on Saturday, will provide “transparency and understanding of decisions”, Antony Gautier, the boss of French referees told AFP on Thursday.
“Everyone always accepts a little more what they understand and the fact of being able to communicate around the decisions taken with video assistance in refereeing is an element which can be, in my opinion, beneficial for the public, for spectators in the stadiums and for television viewers, because it is a process of transparency,” explained Gautier.
Inaugurated during the Coupe de France finals
The sound system for the referees to explain their decision-making after the use of VAR will therefore be inaugurated on Saturday in Montpellier during the final of the Women’s French Cup between PSG and Fleury, then will also be put in place during the play-offs of the D1 Arkéma, on May 12 and 19, as well as during the final of the men’s French Cup, between PSG and Lyon, on May 25 in Lille.
If the LFP is in favor of implementing this system in Ligue 1 from next season, it is still dependent on its technical feasibility in the stadiums so that the sound can be recovered and the referee can explain his decisions to the public.
“When everything is technically ready, the referees who officiate in professional competitions will also be ready. They have been trained in this since February,” explains Gautier, who sees in the sound system of the game directors an additional lever to make the use of VAR clearer, even though it has been criticized in recent months.
“Breaking down the barriers around arbitration which has nothing to hide”
Antony Gautier, head of arbitration
“I only have one wish, and that is to break down the barriers around arbitration, which has nothing to hide. Hearing the referee provide public explanations on a decision that impacts the progress of a match, I am convinced that it can only be beneficial for those who follow this match,” he believes.
Used only in four cases
Concretely, the field referee will have a microphone that his VAR assistant will open remotely when he has to explain his decision. The rest of the meeting, this microphone will remain closed. “Are affected by this experiment,” Gautier further details, “are the four cases that exist in the video assistance protocol: goals scored, direct exclusions, penalty situations and possible identity errors. »
2024-05-02 12:39:08
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