Amateur Football in Saône-et-Loire: District Cancels Matches Due to Rise in Violence and Attacks

November 18 and 19, 2023 will be days without football for the amateur clubs of Saône-et-Loire. The Departmental district cancels the majority of youth and senior matches. In question ? The increase in the number of attacks and disciplinary acts, a phenomenon which is not isolated in the region.

“At some point, you have to know how to say stop!“The Saône-et-Loire football district has decided to put away the balls. In a press release, it announces that no senior and youth meetings apart from those under 7, 9 and 11 years old will take place on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 November 2023.

The increase in the number of physical and verbal attacks in and outside stadiums has been singled out. “What happened last weekend is intolerable“, explains Haïthem Zaied, the president of the Saône-et-Loire district.

The match mentioned took place in Departmental 2, the eleventh division of French football. The referee officiating the match was attacked. The commission must meet to establish the facts and possible sanctions. No details have therefore been specified at this time. However, it seems that it is the Mâcon AC Turque meeting against CS Tramayes, the only match to have been stopped this weekend in this division.

For its part, the association which brings together the department’s referees recently counted “two cases of violence, on two different weekends“Its vice-president, Régis Champet, mentions a player in particular.”He grabbed the referee by the throat and squeezed him when one of his partners was sent off.“

These attacks are not an isolated phenomenon in Saône-et-Loire. During the 2022-2023 season, hits on officials on and off the field, general fights, racist, homophobic or discriminatory insults, etc. were recorded.

In April, the two senior teams of FC Autun were even suspended. The decision-making body estimated, in a press release, that “the safety of officials and opposing teams is not guaranteed during their matches“.

Two incidents justified this very heavy sanction for Autun: on March 26, fireworks were set off on the field during a match. A week later, the father of an FC Autun player returned to the field, with an umbrella, to fight with the referee. In both cases, the police had to accompany the officials’ exit.

This suspension was also extended for 2023-2024 by an order from the prefect, an extremely rare decision in this sport. In addition, additional measures have also been put in place by the Saône-et-Loire district disciplinary committee.

Other facts are to be reported elsewhere in Burgundy. In Côte-d’Or, in October 2021, violence broke out during the Departmental 2 match between Grésilles FC and Châtillon-sur-Seine. According to testimonies from UNAF 21 (National Union of French Referees of Côte-d’Or) and the district, the referee of the day was verbally and physically attacked, in and outside the stadium.

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At the time, the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté football league had suspended the Grésilles senior A team for the rest of the season. One player was also suspended for eight years, another for three and sanctions were handed out for others, ranging from six months to 15 matches.

Since then, Daniel Durand, the president of the Côte-d’Or district, has indicated that he “there was no physical violence against officials“. The situation is similar in Yonne. Thierry Grodet, president of UNAF 89, confirms. “that no act of aggression has been reported to me in the department“.

However, everyone is unanimous on the insults received by the referees during these matches. “Verbal insults are on the rise,” explains Daniel Durand. “Acts of incivility are not our daily occurrence but they are still very common,” estimates Régis Champet.

“It is no longer possible to play football in such atmospheres”

Haïthem Zaied

president of the district of Saône-et-Loire

This situation has an impact on the number of referees who remain in the field. “The majority who are trained one season do not continue into the next. praises the vice-president of UNAF 71.

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With this weekend without football in Saône-et-Loire, Haïthem Zaied hopes that there will be awareness. “I don’t see this as collective punishment. I rather want to see the educational side of it. I want there to be a dialogue between everyone, so that the next time this happens, members of the club can come and remind us of our decisions.”

However, the department’s disciplinary committee must impose sanctions on the people involved in these incidents. “We will be vigilant about the decisions that are taken, because prevention is good, but it has its limits.“, estimates the vice-president of UNAF 71.

In any case, the image of Burgundy football is tarnished, while this same weekend the 7th round of the Coupe de France is being played. AJ Auxerre faces Pays du Vallois and DFCO plays against Doullens this Saturday, November 18.