Silas Billong

Silas Billong (born 13 September 1974) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. After his retirement from playing, Billong became a referee. His brother, Romarin, was also a professional footballer.

Playing career

Early career Born in Lyon, Billong began his footballing career with local side Saint-Priest, who he played with for a season before leaving to join Championnat National side Rodez AF. During the 2008-09 season, he was also called to referee his first National match, a fixture between his former side Rodez AF and FC Libourne. Starting in 2009, he moved up a level to Fédérale 3, therefore becoming a permanent referee at the National level.

On the 4 March 2011, the French Elite Football Referees Union announced in a letter to the French Football Federation (FFF) that they would delay the kickoffs of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches that weekend, to protest the players' lack of respect and to exert pressure, demanding a pay raise. This would cause the FFF and the LFP to take the decision to remove all Fédérale 1 referees from their matches, and instead call National referees up to replace them. Consequently, Billong found himself taking charge of the 5 March fixture between Nice and Lens, which is his only Ligue 1 refereeing post to date.

Personal life Billong's brother, Romarin, was also a professional footballer who played for Lyon and Saint-Etienne and represented the Cameroon national team.