Top referee given jail sentence for domestic violence

News

FT Desk

A top referee in France has been given a suspended prison sentence for domestic abuse.

Abdelatif Kherradji, a Ligue 1 referee for the past two seasons, has received a suspended sentence as he did not previously have a criminal record before the accusations by his ex-partner.

Last week, a criminal court in Nimes banned the accused from making any contact with his ex-partner, while he must complete a course on combating domestic violence.

Kherradji's former partner accused him of grabbing her by the neck on the evening of 13 March, then assaulting her to prevent her from leaving their home. Two months later, he llegedly grabbed her by the shoulder and slammed her against a wall.

During the court proceedings, he said he was simply defending himself after being attacked by the partner, who began punching and kicking him.

L'Equipe reports that his status as a well-respected referee was mentioned in court, though the prosecuting lawyer suggested Ligue 1 may not want to continue employing him after the conviction.

"It's a victory after a courageous fight waged by the plaintiff," Olivier Morice said after the referee was found guilty.

"I can't imagine for a moment that the football authorities would accept one of their Ligue 1 referees continuing to officiate after being convicted of domestic violence."

Crucially, the domestic abuse charge will not be put on Kherradji's record while his sentence remains suspended.

The prosecutors initially pursued an 18-month suspended sentence, but that was seen as excessive by the court.

Ultimately, Kherradji and his team are content with the decision reached.

"It's a good decision for us," lawyer Eric Borghini explained.

"The court delivered justice. It's equivalent to a symbolic sentence, without immediate enforcement and without a criminal record entry. The prosecutor had requested an eighteen-month suspended sentence with immediate enforcement, which was excessive given the facts of the case."

“The plaintiff, for its part, was claiming €10,000 in provisional damages and a court-ordered expert assessment to obtain the maximum possible compensation. They received none of that. Most importantly, the presiding judge, in delivering his judgment, publicly stated in court that the court had granted us from criminal record so that this judgment would have no professional impact on Mr. Kherradji.

“I immediately passed this decision on to Mr. Kherradji’s superiors. Abdelatif is not sanctioned by the Federation, we will not appeal. We just hope to have this decision relatively quickly because we only have ten days to decide.”

Abdelatif is still listed as an available Ligue referee for the 2026/27, though that may change.