As the new season gets underway, referees in Ligue 1 will be tweaking the way they officiate matches in the upcoming campaign. Anthony Gautier and Stéphane Lannoy gave some insight on The Ligue 1 Show about three principles that professional referees will be working on.

“The first consists of always putting the game, and entertainment, ahead of everything else,” explains Gautier, “for example, we don’t want referees blowing for a small coming together between players. That sort of thing does little apart from creating a break in play.”

Gautier proceeds to explain the second crucial emphasis: "The second thing is to work on protecting the image that football transmits." Drawing a parallel with rugby, he suggests that only team captains should approach the referee for explanations, fostering a respectful dialogue between players and officials.

When discussing the third significant directive, Gautier addresses the subject of handballs inside the penalty area. He acknowledges the complexity of the issue and states, "Not every example can be black or white... A grey area will always remain."

Ligue 1 leads the way with active playing time per match

France's top flight shone in the previous season due to its impressive active playing time, but measures are being taken to improve on it. According to Deputy Refereeing Director Stéphane Lannoy Ligue 1 averaged approximately 56 minutes per match in active play. “The Champions League’s marker is around 60 minutes of active playing time per match. With 56 minutes, we’re marking our intent to really accompany the football.”

Gautier reinforces Lannoy's point: "Our aim is to continue improving the amount of active game time we have in a game." Gautier shares that referees have been given instructions to enhance game fluidity, with the hope that active playtime will continue to increase. He emphasises, "What we want is for the games to be as entertaining as possible!"

Lannoy explains a significant change to the laws of the game for the new season in terms of goal celebrations: "What has been made clear in the laws of the game this season is the change when it comes to celebrating goals!" Now, the referee will start counting the time between a goal being scored and the restart that follows, aiming to reduce time wasted during goal celebrations.

The discussion extends to penalty situations, with Lannoy detailing that delays in taking a penalty, whether due to arguments or failing to clear the area, will also be included in added time. Additionally, any other instances that cause delays in resuming play will be accounted for by the referee. Those are the changes for the upcoming season that referees are hoping will reduce breaks in play and allow more football to be played!