(Laval, QC) And then the holidays? For seven young referees, it happened on a soccer field. In Gothenburg. In Sweden.

The work of referee does not necessarily have good press these days, but the history of Laval residents Hamza Achkor, Rydha Ait Seddik, Abdeljalil Benhmade, Yassine Ben Khelifa, Phillipe Lopez-Fiset, William Mavua and Emerik Tessier shows that Beyond the sometimes disturbing stories that circulate, officiating can lead to unique life experiences.

For them, this experience was the Gothia Cup, one of the most important minor soccer tournaments in the world. In mid-July, our seven companions left for the country of Yaki-Da for six days of football matches. They refereed about twenty during the week, up to four per day.

They were not paid, but housed and fed, “with a public transport pass for the week”, specifies Emerik Tessier. Their only expense was their plane ticket. The seven took the opportunity to stretch the trip, to Malmö and Copenhagen, Denmark. One of the seven, Hamza Achkor, then passed through Morocco, as long as he was on the right side of the Atlantic.

What awaited them was a huge cultural melting pot. The teams came from 69 countries and the referees from 16 countries. They teamed up with “a Croat, an Austrian, a Swiss,” they list.

“We were able to referee matches of teams that speak other languages. We had to find other methods of communication to adopt with people from other countries. That, we will bring that back in our luggage, ”underlines Yassine Ben Khelifa.

“The players were surprised, they don’t expect me to speak Spanish with my Canadian flag,” adds Phillipe Lopez-Fiset. But if it’s a Spanish team against a German team, you have to be careful that the Germans don’t start wondering what you’re talking about! »

“As at the Olympic Games, each delegation is presented, illustrates Emerik Tessier. There was even a show part for the referees, they did a choreography and selected a Japanese referee to give a speech and tell people that they expected a respectful tournament.

“When you play games here in Quebec, Canada, the referees are seen as the enemy. There, on the field, the players will criticize the referee, it is normal. But off the pitch, everyone was like family. After the opening ceremonies, we sang songs with players and families. Everyone was there for the love of football. There was a beautiful side. We were part of the football family. »

This theme of the relationship with the referees is somewhat inevitable during the meeting with the six young men (Hamza Achkor was in Morocco at the time of the interview).

Inevitable theme because the profession of referee finds itself in the news for the wrong reasons. From hockey to soccer, to baseball, the recruitment problem comes up constantly.

Emerik Tessier is only 23 years old, but after six years in his role as referee coordinator for AS Laval, he is starting to know the environment. Journal de Montréal colleague Mylène Richard has published an extensive file recounting several not chic stories that have occurred to officials. Tessier agrees: this is no exaggeration. “We’re not the only ones reading the news. Parents also read it,” he recalls.

“I’ve never been comfortable enough to say to a parent, well no, it’s safe for your child. I can never assure a parent that their child will never be insulted or threatened by a coach. But I try to show them that we have mentors, evaluators in the field. A parent came up to us and said, “I’m glad to see they have support in Laval. When my youngster started, I attended all his games, because I was afraid that something would happen. There, I see that they are supervised, that they have support. “”

So no, our sextet is not trying to embellish the picture. “We have experience, we have a shell,” continues Emerik Tessier.

And that, they had plenty of. “It brings football back to life a bit. Here, people take it more as a hobby, because it’s not the first sport. There, you feel the passion in the stands, and it makes you want to referee even more,” said Rydha Ait Seddik.

“Personally, I was looking for the intensity that we don’t find here, I was looking for a more established game, where we could develop our refereeing,” says Abdeljalil Benhmade. I was not deceived. We had high intensity matches. You see that the players want to play football, and we want to referee. We do this because we love it. It’s like a fusion between the two. The players were happy at the end. It makes me want to go back. »

The six young adults intend to do it again. They were recruited by Referee Abroad, a non-profit organization that was responsible for finding the so-called international referees for this tournament. “A manager came to see us at the end of the tournament on the last night. He was satisfied with our professionalism. He told us, “If you’re interested, contact me. “”

We guess it will be done.

The Gothia Cup is tough. According to the event’s website, 1,878 teams from 69 countries participated this year in what is considered the largest minor soccer tournament in the world. In all, 107 pitches were requested for the 4,771 matches played. “A dream week”, would say our colleague Richard Labbé, a football aficionado. Held since 1975, the competition has hosted some of the ball’s future titans, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Xabi Alonso. Canada had eight clubs in this 2023 edition, including two from Quebec: AS Laval, in the women’s U-16, and Valencia CF Academy, in the men’s U-18. Les Lavalloises reached the final, where they lost 2-1 to German club SV Eutingen, while Valencia CF lost in the round of 16.

Our six stakeholders all played soccer before moving on to arbitration. We asked them what drives them and keeps them in this environment.