French Cup: semi

The final of the French Cup will be marked by innovation. The refereeing authority (DTA) announced on Thursday, May 21st, that for the first time, semi-automatic offside will be deployed during the match between RC Lens and OGC Nice on Friday, May 22nd, at the Stade de France. “To support this implementation, a dozen cameras have been installed at the stadium to track the movements of the 22 players in real time,” the authority stated in its press release.

Already in place during the 2022 World Cup, Euro 2024, and in some major leagues, this technology simplifies the management of offsides and helps both video and on-field referees to make “faster, more reliable, and more consistent decisions,” according to the refereeing authority.

As in the 2024 French Cup final, the referee for the match, Jérôme Brisard, will also be sound-equipped “to explain to the audience present in the stadium and to television viewers his decisions following a VAR intervention,” the DTA explained. While popular in the rugby world, sound-equipped referees in football are still in their infancy in France. In Ligue 1, the system was experimented with for the first time in early April during the 28th matchday between PSG and Toulouse.