Disappeared yesterday in Pont-à-Mousson at the age of 94, Roger Machin was one of the historical figures of French refereeing. He represented himself brilliantly in France (more than 250 Ligue 1 matches from 1961 to 1975) and on the international scene, accumulating prestigious appointments: final of the 1969 Coupe de France (Olympic de Marseille-Girondins de Bordeaux, photo below), first leg of the Intercontinental Cup (AC Milan-Estudiantes de La Plata), 1970 World Cup, European Cups (21 matches). During the 1970 World Cup, Roger Machin (FIFA official from 1964 to 1973) refereed the match between England and Czechoslovakia, at the Jalisco stadium in Guadalajara. He returned from Mexico with a Brazilian jersey signed by King Pele himself. When he retired, at the age of 48, he remained in the service of refereeing as president of the Central Referees Committee of the FFF, which he successfully managed, but also a member of the FIFA Refereee Committee, where he showed himself to be an influential ambassador of French refereeing. Outside football, the native of Montchanin (Saône-et-Loire) was a deputy head of department in a metallurgy plant in Pompey (Meurthe-et-Moselle). He was knighted in the Legion of Honour in 1998. The French Football Federation offers its most sincere condolences to the family and relatives of Roger Machin. (Source: FFF)
Roger Machin’s name reappeared in local sports news at an auction held last February in Nancy. The nugget of this sale, the signed jersey of King Pele, was perhaps his fondest memory. In any case, the one he most often mentioned in the presence of journalists. Roger Machin took pleasure in recounting his visit to the villa in Guadalajara where the Brazilian selection was housed during the 1970 World Cup. Pele had asked him for news of Raymond Kopa, Roger Piantoni, Just Fontaine… and had offered him the famous shirt. Always following the evolution of football with an attentive and passionate eye, the former international referee liked to recall that when he started with the whistle, he was generously paid the sum of... 40 francs for a first division match. (Source: Le Republicain Lorraine)
