Ligue 1 refereeing shake-up, VAR audio and World Cup-style directives | OneFootball

Ligue 1 enters the 2026-27 season with mic’d referees for VAR announcements, stricter pace-of-play directives and changes to the officials’ roster. Former top-flight referee Benoit Bastien also takes a senior coordination role.

According to Le Progres, Gaël Angoula, Hakim Ben El Hadj and Benoit Millot drop from the elite, despite Millot’s 15 seasons at the top level. Geoffrey Kübler, Aurélien Petit and Azzedine Souifi are promoted to Ligue 1.

Audio will be in place on all matches and in every stadium, but it will only be used when referees address spectators after a VAR review. The approach was seen in some league games last season and at the World Cup this summer.

Bastien, who retired after 15 Ligue 1 seasons, is now deputy technical director of refereeing for the men’s professional competitions. He will assist refereeing chief Antony Gautier in coordinating L1, L2 and L3.

New instructions, mirroring the World Cup, target quicker restarts and less time wasting. Referees can start a visible countdown on throw-ins, free-kicks and goal-kicks, and if the limit is exceeded the ball can be awarded to the opponents.

Officials will also police slow substitutions, with late leavers delaying the entry of team-mates. They are tasked with protecting the game’s image, being firm on dissent and simulation.

Source: Le Progres

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