In a press release published on Friday, 17 of the 18 Ligue 1 clubs called for the departure of technical director of refereeing, Antoine Gautier. The Strasbourg Racing Club, chaired by Mark Keller, a member of the FFF Executive Committee, is the only elite body that has not signed the document.
It’s not because Ligue 1 is on hiatus due to the international break that French football escapes turmoil. The arbitration crisis reached a milestone on Friday with 17 elite clubs revolting against the Technical Direction of Arbitration (DTA). And in particular his boss, Antoine Gautier, with whom “communication and trust have definitely broken” and whose departure he is demanding: “Our Ligue 1 arbitration does not seem to be at the level of the issues today, as shown by this .numerous errors and controversies, every weekend, on almost all Ligue 1 pitches,” they argued in a press release posted on Friday.
Strasburg and Mark Keller do not join the rebellion
If almost all L1 clubs are pushing for the resignation of Antony Gautier, the only one whose identity has not been leaked is not associated with this initiative. According to AFP, this is the Racing Club de Strasbourg. A logical choice, the Alsatian Club chaired by FFF Executive Committee member Mark Keller.
On Saturday, after the vice-president of the federation, Jean-Michel Aulas, the boss was Philippe Diallo, who opposed this coup, and expressed his full support for Antony Gautier. Although open to “improvements for the future”, the president of the FFF is counting on Antoine Gautier to continue his mission. “Antoine Gautier has my faith in French refereeing,” he declared on the sidelines of the friendly the Blues lost to Germany (0-2) in Lyon on Saturday evening.
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