According to Philippe Diallo, the president of the French Football Federation, FIFA have allowed France to test implementing a sound system in stadiums that will enable the referee to explain decisions taken after VAR has intervened. However, it will be up to the LFP to decide whether or not to implement this trial across Ligue 1 and Ligue 2.
As the president explained in a transcription provided by RMC Sport, “There were experiences at the U20 World Cup in Argentina and in the Women’s World Cup in Australia. We jumped at the chance to have this improvement between the referees and public in our competitions… Under the leadership of the refereeing director, our referees were trained very quickly. Now it is up to the LFP if it wishes to try this.”
This system was in use across France for the Olympics, allowing referees to explain VAR decisions to those in the stadium but also to those watching on television at home. However, as it stands, the system will remain only partial. Referees will not be required to explain all their decisions and the sound system will be limited to those involving VAR.
As Diallo stated, the federation came up against “a refusal from IFAB,” the organisation that governs the laws of the game, to trial a more complete system that would allow for the referee to be heard throughout the match.
