Amateur football: referees soon to be equipped with cameras to deter violent players

Faced with the scourge of violence on the pitch, the French Football Federation (FFF) will draw inspiration from a device worn by police officers and equip referees with cameras during sensitive amateur matches, announced Philippe Diallo at the FFF general meeting in Clairefontaine on Saturday, June 14. According to the French football leader, the first effect of this tool is "deterrence" , since players knowing they are being filmed should be less vindictive.

This system has already been tested this season in three districts: Grand Vaucluse, Moselle, and Loire. In the latter, it has been applied to 140 matches since 2017, and in only two of them were the images subsequently used by the disciplinary committee.

"We must provide an uncompromising response to these troublemakers who disrupt our competitions and prevent us from fully enjoying the pleasure of playing football," Diallo insisted. The federal president assured that "the Federation will be extremely firm."

Philippe Diallo also asked that "the scale of sanctions be increased," and that in the event of an attack on a referee "resulting in total incapacity for work," the sanction against the aggressor could go as far as a lifetime suspension, at least long enough so that the offender can no longer be seen on the pitch.

The FFF has proposed other measures to combat violence and incivility in amateur football . These include requiring only captains to address referees, as is the case in professional football; introducing temporary match suspensions where both teams return to their penalty area to relieve pressure; and using a white card to temporarily exclude a player for incivility.

The FFF's Executive Committee also proposed that the Federation systematically file a civil complaint, along with the leagues and districts, in the event of attacks on referees.