This Friday, Paris Saint-Germain will be at the Parc des Princes to face Toulouse (kick-off at 8:45 pm, broadcast on Ligue 1+) as part of Matchday 28 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season. For this match, the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) has announced the launch of a new feature for refereeing: the audio recording of exchanges between the referee and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
“This protocol will allow for the live broadcast of certain statements made by the referee.”
“For Matchday 28 of Ligue 1 McDonald’s, during the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Toulouse FC, broadcast live on Ligue 1+, the Ligue de Football Professionnel is implementing a new experimental system to test the real-time audio recording of certain exchanges related to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.”
For the first time in Ligue 1 McDonald’s, the referee will be equipped with a microphone whose activation will be remotely controlled by the video assistant referee (VAR) from the control center. This protocol will allow for the live broadcast of certain statements made by the referee, simultaneously:
- to spectators present in the stadium,
- to Ligue 1+ television viewers, via a transmission to the stadium control room and the mobile broadcast unit.
The idea is to make situations more understandable, and less frustrating, for fans and those involved in the match. However, some explanations may not be “accepted.” As we sometimes see, refereeing decisions will likely never please everyone. But it is a worthwhile step to want to provide access to explanations and dialogue. Let’s hope it will be a success.
