François Letexier will make his EURO debut in Croatia - Albania. We can comment his performance here.
Game 15, Group B
Hamburg, 19 June 2024 15:00 CET
CROATIA - ALBANIA Hamburg, 19 June 2024 15:00 CET
Referee: François Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Sandro Schärer SUI
Reserve Assistant Referee: Stéphane De Almeida SUI
Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2: Bastian Dankert GER
UEFA Referee Observer: Darko Čeferin SVN
UEFA Delegate: Mark Evans WAL
Good so far. Lots of fouls but that’s not his fault - maybe he could have let some go but that would be risky in a potentially hot game. Nice, quick but clear warning for DTR for Bajrami and a good play on around 10’ for ALB penalty shout.
ReplyDeleteFully agree with your analysis. Applying a higher bar for fouls would probably put the game in a risk of boiling over, at least that's my feeling and I support Letexier's criterion in this game. There was also a wrong offside by AR1 in 26', but without any consequences, the ball went into possession of Albania anyway. Generally speaking, a good performance without any issues, Letexier fully in control of the game and players so far.
DeleteAgreed with the above comments. I will note that later in the half, Albania tried to win lots of free kicks by going down easily, but Letexier wasn't falling for it. I think he's aware that there have been lots of fouls and started to make sure not to give soft ones.
DeleteSmala I think he just assessed them as non fouls (correctly). I don’t think he changed his approach
DeleteAgreed, good performance so far. My only complaint would be that he tried to let things go more in the last ~10 minutes of the first half, I guess as a result of some disagreement gestures by players after free kicks awarded.
DeleteI would actually consider adapting your line of foul selection to what a game needs a good thing. To a certain extent of course. It shows football understanding and style flexibility. In the last part of the 1st half I found it perfectly fitting.
DeleteI definitely think it's been a conscious strategy now. For example, the "advantage" he gives to Croatia in the 81st minute which could have easily just been a free kick.
DeleteNotable is the relatively large amount of fouls committed in this game compared to others during this Euro (9 - 7). The French without any problems though.
ReplyDeleteThis game just got tough …
ReplyDeleteYep. I hope Letexier keeps his cool and keeps believing in his own refereeing, he’s done well so far.
DeleteFirst YC for dissent? (Hysaj after Croatian 2nd goal, Albania claimed there was a possible foul in the APP)
ReplyDeleteLetexier - the best European referee in the future. Very soon!
ReplyDeleteFor sure, immense potential. Superb positioning, feeling for the game, good foul detection, great management skills and able to adapt while still believing in himself during more intense periods of games. Very complete referee despite his young age, huge potential.
DeleteYeah for sure
DeleteNot sure how Sutalo escapes a yellow card there (83') for SPA
ReplyDeleteSutalo too many fouls now, should be YC there for SPA/persistent fouling
ReplyDeleteThe md3 on this group....
ReplyDeleteGood performance by Letexier, but not the difficulty one could have expected for a game like Croatia - Albania. We will see what he will get next.
ReplyDeleteI would say his style of refereeing fit this game very well and contributed to a calmer game than one could’ve expected (especially during the end of the game). Will be interesting to see what his next appointment is going to be.
DeleteWhat a game and what a performance from Letexier, truly has the potential to become one of the best in Europe.
ReplyDeleteFoul detection for me was good today, held his level throughout the game, not falling for soft fouls in the attacking phase of the play but whistling easy defensive fouls, kept the players cool and won control this way! - also love the usage of his whistle, not overusing it when it’s not necessary, eg: small signal for a small foul.
Great disciplinary line in terms of card management, followed guidelines throughout the game - even in its most intense moments and correctly cautioned players for dissent. Also identified fouls which were mandatory yellows (unlike other referees we’ve seen so far which miss yellows that are super expected/guideline yellows) Potentially a missed YC for SPA/persistent but did not affect the game imo.
Excellent fitness, always nearby which once again, wins trust and control while also allowing Letexier to take correct decision.
Great player management, always firm and you get a sense of trust and control from watching Letexier referee, never in doubt from his own decisions and always believing in himself.
All in all, great performance. Didn’t get tested in terms of KMI’s but did what he had to do (in an excellent way). One of my favorite games and performances in this tournament so far. Well done Letexier and team!
I agree with your analysis 100%, nothing to add to this. An excellent performance by the whole team.
Delete+1
DeleteCan someone send me a clip of the 3rd yellow card?
ReplyDeletehttps://streambug.org/cv/846e85
DeleteIt was the 2nd I talked about Gjasula YC
Deletehttps://streambug.org/cv/c443bb
DeleteCan someone put a link to all the video clips of this match please.
DeleteTop referee.. Easy choice to whistle play-off games
ReplyDeleteNext no. 1 referee in Europe.
ReplyDeleteBravo!
I only saw bits and pieces of the match. So I'm unable to provide a fair and balanced analysis of his performance.
ReplyDeleteI'll only say this. I like the fact that he uses a Fox 40 Sonik Blast whistle and doesn't by default use the overpriced and IMO overrated Valkeen whistle like most others.
MD3 in this group is goijg ti be a mess..
ReplyDeleteAll 4 teams will have something to play for.
Especially Croatia vs Italy will be important match
No, will not be a mess. Tomorrow Spain vs Italy, could have a draw. And in the MD3, both Italy and Spain will need a draw. And I don’t think that Croatia could beat Italy. Only 4 teams from the third place will go to the KO stage, and I doubt from Croatia and Albania.
DeleteTop performance by Letexier. But, I can not said that he was better than Tello, but its obvious is that he is top referee ready for big things!
ReplyDeleteI think these comments are out of hand. By no means was it a bad performance by Letexier, but nothing really special compared to the other referees at the tournament.
ReplyDeleteFirst I think people are ignoring how bad of a miss the 83' non-yellow-card was for SPA / cynical holding. It was bizarre; it was something you'd expect from (for example) Cesar Ramos in a Concacaf game, not from a UEFA referee at this tournament.
And I think one could criticize Letexier's management in the first half as well, which was a choppy spectacle with 17 fouls called. Of course, a large part of this is the players' decisions, and outside of the referee's control, but I also thought he called rather light fouls early on, slowing the game down.
Of course, the flip side of that coin is that a referee could lose control with these teams if he is not strict early. But that is what separates the good referees from the *great* ones: the great referees are able to take those risks to let the game flow into a more entertaining spectacle without losing control. Perhaps one day Letexier will be at that point, but this was a "good" performance today and not an "excellent" one.
Video clips:
ReplyDeletehttps://files.fm/u/tcwv9kzg38
Highlights:
ReplyDeletehttps://files.fm/u/4u27bnjn7e