PSG-OM, the poisoned gift made to referee Jérôme Brisard

Jérôme Brisard has become in spite of himself one of the main characters of the PSG-OM match (0-1).

A headliner costume that referees hate to wear.

But the particular nature of the clasico, the heightened tension on the ground, the bad shots, the insults, the 14 warnings and 5 expulsions have tipped the meeting into a sad scenario in which he plays the leading role.

"The match was out of control", raged Leonardo after the meeting, furious at the choice of Jérôme Brisard to lead the early top of the championship: "It is not to criticize the referee, but perhaps it is not t is not the moment to referee a clasico.

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Statistics in the average

The mistrust is visibly obvious towards a man who has held the whistle in Ligue 1 since January 2017 and a Montpellier-Dijon (1-1).

A match during which he had not distributed any card.

Since then, the 34-year-old referee has presented a record of 66 L1 games.

He distributed 243 warnings and served 19 expulsions, 13 of which were direct.

Statistics which place him in the average of French referees, even if he tended to have a heavy hand during his last outings.

Brisard thus distributed 8 yellows and a red in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue (PSG-OL, 0-0, 6-5 at the tabs) and 8 warnings during Strasbourg Nice (0-2).

During the clasico, he seemed quickly overwhelmed by events, not helped by the players who had obviously decided to strengthen the entry match.

Faced with the controversy, Pascal Garibian flew to the aid of one of the hopes among the tricolor whistles.

“On a technical, disciplinary and managerial level, we can not blame Jérôme Brisard,” explains the boss of the technical direction of arbitration.

When we analyze the cards distributed, all are deserved.

Any arbitrator would have made the same decisions.

From the start of the match, Jérôme took out the first yellow cards to limit the excess commitment.

He tried to do prevention throughout the game.

Warnings are disciplinary sanctions intended to be preventive.

It is clear that he was not heard.

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Too young for a clasico?

Explanations not necessarily convincing.

Especially for Gilles Veissière.

“Nineteen cards in a match, it has no tail denies head, squeaks the former international referee.

A PSG-OM is not a match like any other.

He was asked to drive a car for which he does not yet have a license.

But it is not his fault, it is the designation which is not appropriate.

He has the theory, of course, but not yet the practice.

He is very good, he has qualities.

But we don't ask a young 34-year-old referee to lead such a match… ”

Faced with the accusation of illegitimacy, Pascal Garibian faces up behind Brisard, whom he had launched into the deep end in July during the final of the Coupe de la Ligue.

"He's an experienced referee, it's his fifth season in Ligue 1," argues the one who led 288 L1 games.

He has just been nominated in the first category of UEFA, the antechamber of the Elite group.

He is an internationally recognized referee and for us he has all the legitimacy to referee our biggest matches.

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"He was the least capped on the field, it's insane"

Apart from three qualifying matches for the Europa League, his international experience boils down to one match, still in this competition.

During this meeting between Getafe and Basel (0-1) last October, Jérôme Brisard had distributed 11 warnings and sent off a player.

It is this lack of experience that Gilles Veissière points out.

“During the clasico, all the players are recognized and very experienced internationals, so he was the least capped on the field, it's insane, notes the one who officiated during the 2002 World Cup and the Euro 2000 and 2004. A referee in a big poster must give guarantees.

Arbitration is a question of dosage.

You have to know how far you have to tolerate things, what level of intensity you accept.

To know where to place the cursor, you need to have played a few complicated matches.

"

For the former referee, the choice to appoint Jérôme Brisard for this shock at the top had all of a poisoned gift.

With consequences difficult to imagine: "This kind of match, it can haunt you for a very long time ..."