Amateur Football: “If we were surprised by the night, we turned on the headlights…” Meeting with Jean-Louis Labergue, Gers referee from the 70s

How did you get into the world of football?

We have to go back 60 years in 1963, all the small villages had their football club from Moncorneil to Loubersan or L’Isle-Arné. Changing rooms did not exist everywhere and showers were often taken in the nearby stream. My first club was Simorre, I played either goalkeeper or fullback, and the matches took place on Sunday afternoons. And if we were surprised by the darkness, we turned on the car headlights.

When did you become a referee?

I arbitrated from 1970 to 1975. On Sunday afternoons we went by car to the village in which we had been appointed, except for one referee who traveled by bicycle, whose name was Foch and he sometimes went to 10 a.m. to be on site at 2 p.m. At that time, I was center leader of the Saramon fire station and I represented Saramon, because each club had to be represented by at least one referee.

What do you remember from this period?

I remember the names of a few referees who graced the stadiums in my time. I would like to mention them because they participated in the history of football in the Gers. There were the Eestingoits of Labéjan, Meneghin of Simorre, Odorico of Castelnau-Barbarens, Angel Nicoletti of Gimont, Turchi of Touget, Dagnan d’Aubiet, Fontana d’Aubiet and Diana de Mauvezin, and so many others who held the whistle in this period. I had attended a reunion of former referees, perhaps an idea to submit to the current District. In terms of anecdotes, I remember that the Saint-Clar club had the village priest as its president.

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Can you describe a day of arbitration for us?

I left my home by car and often with my wife and children as a family, and when the weather was nice we took a picnic. Like today, the typical day for a referee dressed in black with the District crest and a white collar began before entering the field with checking licenses (no tablet) and checking outfits. We looked at the state of the nets and the layout of the pitch. We were assisted by volunteers on the sidelines. At half-time, we were offered a lemon or orange split in two. At the end of the match, the home club brought together the referee and the visiting team to share a snack.

For you, what has evolved since those years?

To be a referee, whether before or now, you have to have a passion for football. Besides, I’m still interested in it through teams like Saint-Étienne or Toulouse. I had very good contacts with the District which allowed us to update the regulations by following the regular training of President Fourcade at the time. In my opinion, football has evolved in the direction of technique.

A word to add?

Football is a universal game in which young and senior men and girls express themselves in our beautiful department and when you think about it for two minutes, it’s very good, right? We are sometimes happy with the result, sometimes disappointed at having lost, but the value that must be preserved is respect for the referee and the opponent.