Amateur referees to be equipped with cameras for high-risk matches from the 2025-2026 season
New measures to combat violence on football pitches. Starting next season, referees of amateur matches deemed sensitive will be equipped with them on their chests. The president of the French Football Federation (FFF), Philippe Diallo, announced this during the body's general meeting in Clairefontaine (Yvelines) on Saturday, June 14. This system has already been tested in three districts: Loire, Grand Vaucluse, and Moselle.
Above all, it will have a " deterrent" effect, the manager estimated. In the Loire region, this system has been applied to 140 matches since 2017, and in only two matches were the images subsequently used by the disciplinary committee, according to the FFF. "We must provide an uncompromising response to these troublemakers who come to disrupt our competitions and prevent us from fully enjoying the pleasure of playing football," commented Philippe Diallo.
He assured that "the Federation will be extremely firm" and asked "that the scale of sanctions be increased, that in the event of an attack on a referee resulting in ITT [total incapacity to work] the sanction against the attacker could go as far as a life suspension, at least long enough so that we can no longer see the offender on the pitch."
Violence still on the riseOther measures have also been unveiled by the French governing body to combat this violence and incivility. Starting in September 2025, only captains will be able to address referees, as is the case for professional players. Temporary match suspensions during which both teams return to their penalty area to relieve pressure may be introduced. Referees will be able to use the white card, resulting in a player being temporarily excluded for incivility.
The FFF executive committee also proposed that the Federation systematically file a complaint as a civil party, along with the leagues and districts, in the event of attacks on referees.
Although figures for the 2024-2025 season are not yet available, the FFF's Behavior Observatory recorded more than 12,000 violent acts during the 2023-2024 season during the 600,000 amateur matches of the year.
The French national football team is not saying no to the Stade de France. Provided that negotiations with the new concession holder GL Events are successful, warned the president of the French Football Federation (FFF), Philippe Diallo, on Saturday, June 14. "If the questions we had during the initial discussions with GL Events can be resolved, the federation will gladly return its French team to the Stade de France," the leader explained during the FFF general meeting in Clairefontaine (Yvelines).
The French government has granted GL Events the management of the Saint-Denis stadium for thirty years. The new appeal filed by the Vinci-Bouygues consortium was rejected on Thursday by the Montreuil administrative court.
While waiting for negotiations to resume with the Lyon events group, the Blues have already scheduled their three home qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup at the Parc des Princes in the fall of 2025 – against Iceland, Azerbaijan and Ukraine.
Sports Service (with AFP)
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