Clément Pedron, Media365: Published Monday, June 29, 2026 at 4:37 pm PT.
A few days after Stephanie Frappart, Benoit Bastien decided to retire from his career as a referee. After 227 Ligue 1 matches played in Ligue 1 and over 500 in his career, the Frenchman is applying to become the new director of the professional refereeing sector at the FFF.
French football and Ligue 1 in particular have quickly lost two important referees in recent times. On June 26, the 42-year-old athlete officially handed in her whistle and cards to join the UEFA referee committee. This Monday, the daily Vosges Matin reported in its columns that Benoit Bastien is preparing to do the same. According to the local duck, the adopted Jeromois decided to stop in his turn, although we didn’t really know the reasons. However, the former man in black has no plans to move into another field.
Like his former colleague Stéphanie Frappart, Benoit Bastien decided to change to more traditional clothes for office work. The native of Epinal will experience another facet of the profession, as he also joins the authorities, but the authorities of the FFF.
Role in the sound system of judges
According to Vosges Matin, Benoit Bastien will soon be appointed director of the professional refereeing sector at the French Football Federation. According to several specialized sites, it should play a role in the judges’ sound system. Let us remember that he was the first to experience this during the meeting between OL and Lorient. Benoit Bastien made no fewer than 526 appearances during his career, including 227 Ligue 1 matches during his fifteen years as a referee.
He also achieved success in the Champions League, where he started against Real Madrid and Apoel Nicosia (September 2017). The Vosges native was recognized for his talent as he was named Ligue 1’s best referee for the 2022 UNFP Trophies by the Federal Arbitration Commission and the best referee for the 2024-2025 season.