The sequences made people smile. On the occasion of the opening match of the 28th day of Ligue 1 between OL and Nantes (1-1), the referee of the meeting, Benoît Millot was equipped with a microphone to record his exchanges with the players . A life-size test, made by Prime Video, which will broadcast the images on Sunday evening, before a potential sound system for referees in the elite next season.
And on the images, Benoît Millot is seen taking news of Fabien Centonze, who remained on the ground after a foul or still in the middle of a discussion with Alexandre Lacazette who demanded a second yellow card for his opponent. “I agree with you, but honestly giving him a second warning for that sucks”, explains the man with the whistle, who managed to convince the Gones striker: “No, but he had to be warned”. “That’s what I did, you saw,” retorted the referee with a smile on his face.
“This type of experience like this evening, which has already existed, sheds light on these relationships on the ground. Do we say it enough, we referees, do we put enough emphasis on this passion we have for the game, the players, at professional and amateur level? Referees do not come down from the planet Mars at the weekend to arbitrate, ”explained the 41-year-old referee after the meeting at the microphone of Prime Video.
Laurent Blanc, not in favor of this novelty
And obviously, this finding divides. If the sound system of the referees is appreciated by the corporation, it convinces much less among the coaches. “That the referee is in contact with the VAR, it is necessary but after, we are not in rugby. It’s not the same mentality. You know it well. Are we going to make recordings? Are we going to listen? When we are polite with the referee, we will not broadcast it. What are we going to broadcast? I don’t know if there is a sincere interest. I don’t know if it’s a good thing to hear from the players. I say it as I think. It can sometimes be… crispy,” complained Laurent Blanc at a press conference. This debate is likely to be talked about in the coming weeks.