French referees’ unions warn officials may ‘pull out’ if their safety is compromised

The French referees’ association announced that its members would consider withdrawing from their roles if they or their families face any threats following an alarming surge of hostility directed at officials after comments made by Olympique de Marseille President, Pablo Longoria.

Reports from local media indicated that Longoria had protested the selection of referee Jeremy Stinat for their match against Auxerre on Saturday, which ended in a 3-0 defeat for Marseille.

Longoria attributed the loss to “genuine corruption” and voiced his frustration over the red card issued to defender Derek Cornelius.

In response to his remarks, the governing body of the French football league (LFP) imposed a 15-match suspension on Longoria on Wednesday.

Additionally, it was reported that the tyres on two cars belonging to Stinat’s family were slashed at their residence prior to the match, leading him to file a legal complaint regarding the vandalism.

A delegation from the referees’ association (SAFE) met with the French Minister for Sport, Marie Barsacq, on Thursday to express their worries about the safety of match officials.

“The nature of the remarks… called into question the integrity of the referee and, more broadly, that of the refereeing body,” stated SAFE.

“Should there be any further breach of their private lives that poses a risk to them or their families, (the referees) will exercise their right to withdraw.”

The association also revealed in a statement that it has instructed its legal counsel to support Stinat in pursuing a civil action with an investigating judge at the Paris court of first instance.