Football: in the Gard-Lozère District, we don’t mess around with discipline

The Gard-Lozère Football district is doing quite well. The winter general assembly, which was held on Saturday November 23 in Nîmes, in the meeting room of the C-Suites hotel, with 111 clubs represented out of 156 and in the presence of Guy Glaria, new president of the League Occitanie, provided proof of this.

Layoffs on the rise, finances in the green

With 23,000 licensees, the workforce is up 1.5% compared to last year at this time, welcomed President Fernand D'Anna, who specified: “We will finish the season at around 26,000, a usual level.”

Finances are also in the green. The report from treasurer Audrey Firmin, approved unanimously, revealed a surplus of €4,754.

€132,581 in disciplinary fines

The only downside is discipline. Like his predecessor Francis Anjolras, present in the room, Fernand D'Anna, who emphasized the notions of respect, tolerance and solidarity, recalled that the Gard-Lozère District would be “uncompromising in the sanctions taken”. Sanctions against clubs which, moreover, have been “doubled”.

The disciplinary fines “brought in” €132,581 to the District, or €20,000 more than the previous season. “It is up to the clubs, managers and players to lower this budget line.”launched Mr. D’Anna.

A test before a possible generalization in 2025-2026

With his team, it was one of his campaign commitments, he decided to test the temporary exclusion on a category which “poses a lot of problems, that of the U17 Departmental 1″.

Departmental technical advisor in arbitration, Nicolas Rainville presented this novelty which will be tested during the return phase of the U17 D1 championship (from February 8, 2025, therefore) and which will also be implemented during the day of the finals of the Gard-Lozère Cup.

“At the end of the season, a review will be made, the objective being to generalize this temporary exclusion to all categories for the 2025-2026 season”explained the former professional referee, who did not hide that this project was going “raise a lot of questions and debates”. He of course insisted on the training of referees and the awareness raising among clubs that this would require.

Ten minutes on the bench after a card received for contesting an arbitration decision

The temporary exclusion of ten minutes will only follow a warning received for contesting refereeing decisions (in words, gestures or actions). The offending player will spend ten minutes on the bench before returning to the game.

All people listed on the match sheet – players, technical staff, medical staff and managers – are concerned and may be sanctioned. If a substitute, the coach or an official receives a card (always for contesting a decision by the referee), the team captain (or the relay player designated in advance if this is the case) will then be asked to goalkeeper who wears the armband) to serve the ten-minute penalty.