One hundred and twenty-nine referees - all functions combined - have been selected for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Among them, we find six Frenchmen: centrals Stéphanie Frappart and Clément Turpin;
line assistants Nicolas Davos and Cyril Gringore;
video assistants Jérôme Brisard and Benoît Millot.
And as for the players, their preparation has not been left to chance.
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Several preparation seminars
Shortly after the announcement of their selection for the 2022 World Cup in June, European officials - accompanied by some of their colleagues from other continents - took part in a first seminar set up by FIFA in Madrid.
As Stéphanie Frappart indicated at a press conference at the end of September, they “
revisited the same technical line
” that they already applied during competitions organized by UEFA and FIFA.
After the summer, at the beginning of September, they also attended an online seminar focusing, among other things, on “
the protection of players
”, explained Clément Turpin to journalists, also at the end of September.
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Then, all the referees selected for the World Cup joined Qatar quite early.
In order to take part from November 10 in a new seminar to "
fine-tune their preparation as well as possible
" with, among other things, the organization
of "a tournament with local teams to put them all
in the conditions of the competition before their first match of the World
Cup", revealed Pierluigi Collina to L'Équipe in early November.
“
The time they will spend together will also serve to consolidate the team spirit, which is already very strong between them
,” added the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee.
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A precise physical preparation
All the referees selected were also entitled to quality physical preparation.
Last June, those from the European continent carried out a battery of tests to assess their state of form at the end of the season.
Then, for several months, they were followed remotely by a physical trainer in order to be at the maximum of their capacities during the competition.
"
We loaded a lot in July-August to get this fit in September-October and have a peak of form during the competition
", explained Clément Turpin, who will experience his second World Cup after that of 2018 organized in Russia.
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This specific preparation could however have consequences for the rest of the season: “
What will also be interesting is to know how the post-World Cup will go.
And I think that's a question that a lot of staff and players are asking themselves.
We also ask ourselves the question with the physical trainers and the referees
”, raises the one who officiated during the last Champions League final, at the Stade de France.
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A valuable aid for analysis
Beyond the technical and physical aspects, one of the other major points in the preparation of the referees concerns the analyzes of the teams.
If they can rely on their knowledge or on the
Wyscout
platform , on which they have access to countless statistics and player characteristics, they are also supported by FIFA.
“
A technician brings us different elements.
We analyze the players, the technical part with for example the offensive free kicks, to be in the right place at the right time to decide
, ”detailed at the end of September Stéphanie Frappart.
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This help is all the more valuable since the officials cannot know all the teams - especially those with few players playing in France or playing in a European Cup - and since they have very little time for these analyses. since they are made aware of the matches they are going to referee only three or two days before.
This intense preparation is also the "price to pay" for officiating in the greatest of football competitions.
