Ligue 1 must lead by example

Players, coaches and referees met on Monday at the French Football Federation headquarters to prepare for the start of the Ligue 1 season on 9 August.

Together for the Game
The seminar, organised in association with the FFF's technical and refereeing departments, brought together the top flight's referees, coaches and captains for a day of talks under the banner Together for the Game. The conference considered ways of enhancing the quality of the championship while also reviewing the 2007/08 campaign.

Up for discussion
Key topics discussed included: more positive and open refereeing, respect for match officials, and improved communication between referees, players and coaches; protecting the image of the game with the onus on player behaviour; and developing the Ligue 1 product both as a spectacle and as an example to younger fans. The seminar featured contributions from French Professional League president Frédéric Thiriez, FFF technical director Gérard Houllier, Marc Batta representing the referees' committee, and Gérard Ernault from the Task Force set up to help deliver these targets. As a direct result of the conference, a fair play handshake will take place in the centre circle at the end of each Ligue 1 match, from this weekend onwards.

'Spectacle and example'
Frédéric Thiriez said: "This is the first time that the three main actors [players, coaches and referees] have come together for one day with the goal of improving the quality of spectacle that our championship offers. There are two main considerations here – the spectacle, hence encouraging attacking play, and the example, by which I mean we have to win back hearts, especially those of our younger audience. We want to give the best possible image of our sport by showing respect, towards referees yet also towards the laws of the game."

'Battles to win'
Gérard Houllier added: "We, the technical and refereeing bodies together with the Task Force, wanted to sit down with all the key players to improve the climate for the new season. In co-operation, we want to win the battles affecting attitudes and behaviour, the image of the game and the footballing offering itself. Players and coaches have an ethical duty and one of their tasks is to transmit certain values. Equally we want to improve the quality of play, because at the highest level you are judged both on results and on the spectacle that is served up. We appreciate that in this regard we in France have a deficit to make up."