Arne Slot
Arne Slot was involved in an angry showdown with Michael Oliver
Premier League refs could soon be wearing body cams.
That would mean bust-ups and confrontations would be filmed and everything could be captured on video to try and protect referees. It comes just days after Liverpool boss Arne Slot was banned after it was claimed that he said to referee Michael Oliver “if we don't win the league, I'll f****** blame you” in a furious bust-up after the Merseyside derby.
Football Association chiefs have experimented with body cams in grassroots football to give referees an extra layer of protection and it could also shame managers and players at the top level.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham is now championing extending that to the top level of the game and he has spoken to FIFA about bringing it in. Bullingham said: “What we're speaking with FIFA about is whether we can get more countries to adopt a trial and potentially even get FIFA behind it.
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“There are lots of creative solutions being looked at. I think we see that as a good way of referees being more confident. I personally think it is good and it is something which should be trialed and potentially allowed.”
And while the FA are keen to clamp down on incidents with referees, French chiefs have already come down hard on one of their bosses after a shocking clash. Lyon head coach Paulo Fonseca has been handed a nine-month ban from Ligue 1 games after confronting referee Benoit Millot.
Speaking to L’Equipe, the official said: "He rushed toward me with an intimidating attitude and I decided to send him off directly. There was, it seems, a slight contact with the nose. [It was] a particularly intimidating, aggressive attitude, which one can hardly imagine from a professional coach."
Mark Bullingham
Mark Bullingham has given his backing to a bodycams trial
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But Fonseca apologised for his actions in the immediate aftermath. He said: "I just want to say that I'm sorry for what I did. I should not do it. Maybe we do things that are not right. I'm sorry."
But Lyon have since spoken out in the face of the ban. A club statement on Wednesday read: “The club deplores the fact that its coach was not judged solely on his actions, an emotional reaction, with no obvious intention of physically attacking the referee.
“In light of a sanction that seems to be dictated by a harmful context affecting French refereeing, OL is announcing that it is studying all possible avenues of appeal. More than ever, the club is united and focused on its sporting objectives.”
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