Will the head of French professional arbitration soon be out of the game? Stéphane Lannoy will be received “very soon” for an interview prior to a possible dismissal, AFP learned from an executive of the French Football Federation (FFF), Wednesday February 20, confirming information from the newspaper L’Equipe .
Questioned by the referees of the French championship, Stéphane Lannoy must be received by the FFF, his employer, during next week. The refereeing body criticizes him for being too close to the presidents of Ligue 1 clubs as well as “the technical indigence of the content of the courses offered” and a blurred line on VAR – video refereeing –, this executive clarified to the ‘AFP.
An incident from the Montpellier-Lille match (0-0) on January 28 revealed by the sports daily L’Equipe is “the straw” that broke the camel’s back. That day, the former French international referee responded in the middle of the match to an SMS from the Lille president, Olivier Létang, recognizing a refereeing error in signaling an offside. Supporting a message from Mr. Lannoy, the LOSC leader went to challenge the decision he considered contentious in the game directors’ locker room at half-time. “The referees felt let down,” specifies the same source.
If Stéphane Lannoy were to be dismissed, his superior, the technical director of refereeing, Antony Gautier, with whom he was in conflict, would have to wear both hats by assuming the interim role until the end of the season, for the last days of the championship, before the appointment of a new head of professional refereeing.
