Mthat we talk about them, the better they wear. For referees, discretion is generally a sign of a successful match, without decisions influencing the fate of the meeting or notable incidents. Rayan Herry has chosen to breach this unwritten rule of an environment where speaking are rare and too often discouraged. For three years, the young man of 21 has shared his daily referee of regional level (from 6e at the 8the Division) for the New Aquitaine League in particularly in-depth, immersive and educational videos, covering the pre-match, the preparation and the match itself. And in which he explains his decisions, including his mistakes.
And it’s an audience card. His social networks stamped RG28 – YouTube, Instagram, X and Tiktok chain – combine 625,000 subscribers. Each video attracts tens of thousands of views on average, one of them, to a tense match of the CAN of Boulogne-Billancourt, exceeded one million.
Recently, he was invited on the set of the program “Télématin” on France 2 to comment on the last incidents between coaches of Ligue 1 and “Men en Noir”. On April 6, he refereed for the big beginnings of the King’s League in France, which mixed the codes of video games and “real” football. Unwittingly, he has become one of the new faces of French arbitration. Without losing his goal: officer at the highest level.
Arbiter by chance
Originally from the Paris region, now installed in Haute-Vienne, Rayan Herry said that he came to the arbitration “completely by chance” after an injury (pneumothorax) incompatible with the practice of football. “I wanted to discover a new facet of football, I was told about arbitration, I went 100 % and I liked. »»
Rayan Herry Referee of Regional 1 to 3, from 6th to 8th level.
South West
-Training in November 2021, first match management in January 2022 and first video from the following April 22, everything went very quickly for him: “At the beginning, I did not necessarily have a political message to convey, I just wanted to share my passion. Little by little, I saw that people hung and that I could perhaps make the image of arbitration evolve, make it more accessible and make you want to get involved. I pushed the immersion by producing more professional formats that carry a message each time. »»
“I saw that I could perhaps make the image of the arbitration evolve, make it more accessible and make you want to commit to it”
The reception was very generally favorable even if its growing notoriety was able to stir up jealousies. “Some thought that I was flying a little light but I have always been transparent with everyone, I explained my approach, I systematically share my images with the clubs. On the networks, as soon as one becomes a “public” character with a certain visibility, we attract hateful messages, but I armored myself compared to that. »»
Camera and microphone on the referee
Rayan Herry worked formats with the post office and the French football federation when it announces its desire to open behind the scenes of the arbitration to the general public. Installing cameras on the torso of the referees should be the next step. As during police interventions, they would be a dissuasive element and the images would be faith in the event of incidents. The New Aquitaine League, of which it was one of the campaign themes of the new president François Grenet, hopes to be the first to test it in the coming months.
Rayan Herry is favorable. As he would like high -level football to be inspired by rugby by sounding the referees on television and in stadiums: “The implementation of technology in support of communication and a better understanding of the journey until decision -making can only be favorable. I would also find relevant that a consultant-arbitrator can intervene live with commentators who sometimes ignore the rules. »»
After three years of arbitration and sharing of his experience, Rayan Herry keeps a lucid faith on his passion. Three days before our interview, he had experienced a difficult end of the match, for a penalty whistled in the 95e minute. “During the first 94, everything goes well and for a decision, completely justified, they are insults and threats, I find it unfair … The link between the referee, the leaders and the players is fragile, it is sometimes broken. But I do not let this kind of behavior prevent me from pursuing my objectives and my projects in arbitration. »»
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