Ligue 1: major debut for French football, referees microphone system to be tested

On Friday evening, the 28th day of Ligue 1 between PSG and Toulouse (8:45 pm) will be officiated with a sound system. A major first.

“A revolution in the world of football. According to Radio France, the sound system of referees will be tested this Friday, on the occasion of the 28th day of Ligue 1 between Paris Saint-Germain and Toulouse (8:45 pm).

“I had wished that all referees would be trained on this system by March 2024, they are. I then informed the Professional Football League that we were waiting for their approval to launch this innovation in France, and the approval has arrived,” commented Antony Gautier, head of French refereeing, on Radio France. And he added: “We are very happy to be able to offer this new feature which has a goal: to communicate and make the decisions made by the referees more educational.”

The main objective? “The possibility for referees on the field to publicly explain their decision after reviewing the images on the sideline,” clarified Gautier. The match between PSG and TFC will be officiated by Eric Wattelier, who will therefore be the first referee in the history of the championship to benefit from a sound system.