Advancements ahead as FFF ask IFAB permission to give referees microphones

The biggest advancement in football since VAR and microchips in footballs could come from the French Football Federation if the International Football Association Board grants them permission to give referees microphones. 

The FFF, France’s football governing body, is set to ask IFAB, the body that governs football’s rules and regulations, for permission to attach microphones to Ligue 1 referees, which will allow audiences to understand the man in the middle’s decisions better and ensure some more transparency from referees in the French top division. 

According to reports in France, the president of France’s referees’ federal committee, André Borghini, has suggested that IFAB use Ligue 1 as a testing ground for equipping match officials with microphones. 

He believes that it will be a great spectacle for the fans to listen in on the referees' conversations and decision-making process on the pitch, while also saying that he believes Ligue 1 referees will be supportive of the idea. 

Borghini, a member of the FFF’s executive committee, was quoted as saying, “It would be great if viewers were able to hear what the referee is saying. The public would see that referees never speak badly to players, never.”

IFAB plan to test the referees’ microphone at the Club World Cup in Morocco starting in February, and will then make a decision on whether or not to grant FFF’s request. 

Should IFAB reject the request, FFF and Ligue 1 already have a contingency plan that will allow referees to be heard making considerations and decisions whenever they consult with the VAR. 

Borghini said that the FFF is also keen on further changes that will also see referees interviewed after matches in the same manner that coaches and players currently get interviewed. 

No concrete additions or subtractions have been made. For now, FFF awaits the final decision of IFAB on the matter.