One more step towards the sound system of French referees. Bastien Dechepy, who officiated during Lille’s victory against OM on Friday evening (3-1) in Ligue 1, was equipped with a microphone. Prime Video broadcast a nice first sequence during which the man with the whistle manages the situation of the penalty obtained by Lille to open the score (54th).
Dechepy initially did not hesitate to designate the penalty spot when Samuel Gigot severely tackled Jonathan David in the penalty area, before having to manage the influx of Lille players who came to claim the red card. “No!”, indicates the referee to Rémy Cabella, who considers that the Marseille defender has annihilated a scoring opportunity. “Yes, maybe, tackling. It’s been like that since 2016,” the referee replies, before announcing to the player that the “control (VAR) is over, penalty ok, penalty ok, here we go”.
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Bastien Dechepy then spoke to Marseille goalkeeper Pau Lopez, who himself came to recognize that the penalty was a good decision. “Do you recognize him? It’s good.” And to order the players before Jonathan David shot: “Come out well (from the area), don’t come in before the guys please!”
At the start of 2024, FIFA finally authorized France to experiment with sound systems for its referees. D1 Arkema, the women’s championship, should be the first concerned, and Ligue 1 could follow next season. History is therefore in progress. But walk slowly. Initially, the sound system would only allow referees to express themselves on decisions taken after consulting the VAR, and not throughout the match as in rugby.
