They’ve been wanting it for a little over a year and finally got it. This Thursday, during the executive committee of the FFF, president Noël Le Graët granted the wish of the presidents of the professional clubs by announcing the imminent departure of Pascal Garibian, the technical director of refereeing (DTA). Then he confirmed it to us. “We are moving towards a change of strategy in refereeing, explains the head of the Federation. I will receive Pascal (Caribbean) quickly It is more than likely that there will be a change, but that does not mean that every club will win their games. »
It is clear that Garibian will no longer be in office after the World Cup. “You can’t deny that there are some professionals who no longer want him, explains Le Graët. But you must respect your employment contract. I must receive it and see the future. I will tell him: “Pascal, let’s stop. Now, how do we do it?” “For the rest, the name of Stéphane Lannoy returns with insistence, although we also mention Anthony Gauthier or Alain Sars. “In the beginning, we will receive a few candidates, continued Le Graët. Since we imagine Garibian is leaving, there are still a few left… The entire executive committee, where there are professionals, will look at the possible four or five and choose the one that feels best, in the shortest possible time. »
“It’s not a putsch by Ligue 1 clubs, but a deep desire to reform things to improve”
Jean-Pierre Rivère, president of Nice
In fact, the professionals had put a terrible pressure on the FFF to end the functions of Garibian, who was considered too rigid, closed in his certainties and incapable, according to them, of evolving. They received Eric Borghini, the chairman of the federal referees’ commission, also a member of the FFF’s executive committee, to express his exasperation and announce that they would not give up until they had obtained satisfaction. Feeling threatened – which the presidents of L1 made him understand – Borghini let Garibian go. Before Le Graët himself, who for a long time supported, against sales and tides, his DTA, realized that he no longer had a choice.
Responsible for the arbitration file for the professional sector for a few weeks, Jean-Pierre Rivère, the president of Nice, does not want to succeed. “Arbitration depends on the FFF, he immediately remembers. But it is true that we want to improve our League 1 to make it as spectacular as possible and refereeing is an integral part of this project. So, we have worked on this issue. It is not a putsch by the League 1 clubs, but a deep desire to reform things for the better. The goal is to be able to work with a different pattern. The work done for years by Pascal Garibian was also effective, but in the evolution of our project maybe it was time to have a different guideline. Now we want the Federation to choose a DTA that is in line with the development we want to have. But the choice is yours. »