According to Radio France, referee sonorization will be tested starting Friday evening at the Parc, on the occasion of the PSG-Toulouse match.
It’s a first in Ligue 1. Friday night, during the match between PSG and Toulouse at the Parc des Princes (8:45 pm), the referees’ sonorization will be tested, according to information from our colleagues at Radio France. Spectators in the stands and television viewers will be able to hear referee Éric Wattellier orally explain certain decisions during the match that will open the 28th matchday of Ligue 1.
This will be the case, for example, if he has to consult an action on the VAR screen. The audience will hear him justify his decision upon his return to the field. The director of refereeing at the French Football Federation, Antony Gautier, confirmed this first test to Radio France: “I had hoped that all referees would be trained in this device since March 2024, they are. I then indicated to the Professional Football League that we were waiting for their approval to launch this innovation in France and the green light has arrived. We are very happy to be able to offer this new feature which has a goal: to communicate and make the decisions taken by the referees more pedagogical.”
Following this first experimentation in Ligue 1 during PSG-Toulouse, referee sonorization should be generalized in the elite of the French championship next season. It should be noted that this device was supposed to make its appearance during the current season, but the Professional Football League (LFP), facing financial problems due to TV rights, had finally decided not to implement it. It was delayed until Friday, the night of the premiere at the Parc des Princes.
