Sunday, October 24, 2021, a 25-year-old referee was attacked in Dijon during an amateur football match in D2 (2nd departmental division) between FC Grésilles and Union châtillonnaise colombine football. The president of the District of Côte-d’Or described on France Bleu Bourgogne the insults, the throwing of projectiles and the blows received by the man in black. Physical violence denied by the president of the Grésilles club, who admits having heard insults. The day after the match, UNAF 21 (The National Union of Football Referees) gives news of the referee: “morally low enough”, “very affected”, recovering from “contusions” and “from a wound in the hand”. The young man, described as a referee “experimented” despite his 25 years, will file a complaint and the UNAF announces that it will file a civil suit.
For a year and a half, 40% fewer referees in Côte-d’Or
If physical violence remains fortunately relatively rare against referees in the department, Thierry Thiourt, president of UNAF 21, evokes “insults”, “threats” and “incivilities” on “upsurge” these last years. A guide entitled “What to do in case of aggression?” was published in mid-October. “We are in a lack of referees of about 40% over the last 18 months in the District of Côte-d’Or, he calculates. Tomorrow, with such facts, to recruit and retain referees, it is a complicated mission. With the incivilities that are on the rise, the referees are giving up a bit today. And it’s not just incivility, there is also this Covid effect that we take full force “.
The UNAF recalls it, the referees are volunteers – benefiting from allowances for travel and equipment. According to him, this “deficiency” of referees available could have consequences on the organization of amateur football in the department. “It is football in general that will suffer, regrets Thierry Thiourt. If there were 30 or 40% more referees … we must be around 70 referees, it would take more than 100 to be comfortable. Today it is no longer even a tense flow, all the matches are no longer covered, so are refereed by club referees or managers and the quality of the refereeing takes a hit “.
It’s no longer even just-in-time, all the matches are no longer covered
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