A rectangle of hands and a clear and precise speech. This Sunday, during Lyon-Lorient, Benoît Bastien, for the first time in the history of Ligue 1, explained an arbitral decision with a microphone he was wearing.
“After reviewing a potential penalty situation, preceded by a fault from number 77 of Lorient. Final decision: no penalty. Free kick!” thus could be heard by the TV viewers but also by the supporters of Groupama Stadium. The announcement was indeed broadcast over the stadium speakers, which largely drowned out the whistles of the Lyon supporters, worried about conceding a penalty.
Will this be a generalised measure from next season?
During some matches in 2024, Ligue 1 referees were equipped with microphones to broadcast television topics after the match. But this Sunday, for the first time, spectators could hear the referee’s justification. However, for the rest of the match, the official’s microphone remained closed.
Last week, the system had already been tested during PSG – Toulouse. But since no decision required the intervention of VAR, observers only heard a simple “Hello” at the beginning of the match.
The audio equipment for referees is a measure advocated by Antony Gautier. The head of French referees would like to generalise this from next season, provided that all Ligue 1 stadiums have sufficiently effective audio equipment.
During the CAN, referees had a similar device. The first decisions announced by the referee to the spectators date back to 2023, during the Women’s World Cup.
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