“It is essential that professional football be exemplary,” demands the referees’ union after strong criticism

Football referees are appealing for calm after the strong criticism leveled against them by presidents of Ligue 1 clubs in recent weeks. Guest Sunday February 18 on franceinfo, Olivier Lamarre, spokesperson for Safe (Elite Football Referees Union) deplores the comments “unacceptable” from the president of OGC-Nice on Friday evening, who strongly criticized the refereeing of Clément Turpin during the match against Lyon. Comments which come in addition to others made by the presidents of the clubs of Nantes, Brest or even Toulouse, he underlines.

“We call on everyone to be responsible because every time professional football is not exemplary, we put the referees at risk” amateur football “because there are people around the field who think they are authorized to do like what we see on TV, apart from the referees at the amateur level are not protected”he explains. “It is essential that professional football be exemplary.”

He claims to have received on social networks from the referees’ union “death threats towards Clément Turpin”. Olivier Lamarre would also like more support from the authorities: “There are sometimes silences which are a little deafening. There is a lot of violence which sometimes deserves that in the leagues, the districts and at the federation level we speak out and demand even stronger sanctions.” “The authorities, the policies must protect the referees. Without a referee, no football”he notes.