Frenchman appointed head of refereeing for Croatian league

Bertrand Layec and Marijan Kustić, President of the Croatian Football Federation (Photo: HNS)

The Croatian Football Federation has appointed Frenchman Bertrand Layec as the leading figure for officiating in the SuperSport HNL Croatian Football League.

Layec will combine the roles of President of the HNS Referee Commission and Commissioner for the appointment of referees in the SuperSport HNL, HNS said today in a statement.

In this responsible position, the governing body of Croatian football, in collaboration with UEFA, has placed its trust in an expert with extensive experience.

Bertrand Layec was born on 3rd July 1965 and prior to accepting the invitation from the Croatian Football Federation, he served as the officiating commissioner in France, Belgium, and Cyprus.

In his refereeing career, Layec officiated in the top tier of French football, Ligue 1, from 1998 to 2010, and earned his FIFA badge in 2002. During his career, Layec officiated at various competitions, including the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup, the 2008 European Championship qualifiers, the 2010 World Cup European qualifiers, and the Champions League.

“Every step we take is aimed at restoring trust in officiating and continuously developing our referees. Following the successful introduction of foreign referees in the second half of last season, we have taken a new step this season, as I previously announced, by appointing Mr Bertrand Layec as the head of officiating in the SuperSport Croatian Football League.

It is in all our interests to elevate Croatian officiating to a higher level, and I believe Mr Layec, with his authority, vast experience, and expertise, will meet this challenge. I would like to take this opportunity to thank UEFA for their understanding and cooperation in recent months on the topic of officiating, and the result of this collaboration is Layec’s appointment.

He has our full confidence and complete autonomy, and we wish him and the referees a successful season,” said Marijan Kustić, President of the Croatian Football Federation.

“I thank the Croatian Football Federation for their trust. I believe I will meet the expectations of President Marijan Kustić and his colleagues and contribute to improving the quality of officiating in the highest tier of Croatian club football.

I hold Croatian football in high regard, and I will strive to use my previous experience to set an example for referees and persist in their development, to the satisfaction of all stakeholders in the SuperSport Croatian Football League,” emphasized Bertrand Layec.