The French referee in charge of his second game at the tournament, Denmark - Serbia.
Game 30, Group C
Munich, 25 June 2024 21:00 CET
Munich, 25 June 2024 21:00 CET
DENMARK - SERBIA
Referee: François Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Donatas Rumšas LTU
Reserve Assistant Referee: Aleksandr Radiuš LTU
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert GER
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 1: Fedayi San SUI
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2:Pol van Boekel NED
Assistant Video Assistant Referee 2:Pol van Boekel NED
UEFA Referee Observer: David Fernández Borbalán ESP
UEFA Delegate: Arturs Gaidels LVA
An excellent decision, bravo AR2
ReplyDeleteLetexier has lost the grib of the game..
ReplyDeleteWhy pleace info
ReplyDeleteMany mistakes on freekicks, All in favour for Serbia.. Total lack on his body language, no respekt, throwing araound with yellow cards.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. That Danes questioned Letexier's calls doesn't automatically mean that he was wrong. Quite contrary based on replays, to be honest. I think he was very good in this heated first half.
ReplyDeleteAgree with this.
ReplyDeleteAll 3 cautions are mandatory imo.
Last one could've been red if actual contact had been made.
Maybe a little in terms of foul selection and sometimes he's getting in the way of play. Overall a very good first half.
Correct offside.. But again again again dont Letexier like Hojlund All in favour for the serbian players
ReplyDeleteLennart, do us a favor and switch to other match.
DeleteThank you in advance
79'
ReplyDeletePotential PK for Serbia.
The ball was far away from the place where "foul" was made.
Your thoughts?
Why no action to the Danish player as is attacking Mitrovic in the penaltyarea?
ReplyDeleteAgree,he also should have received YC.
DeleteClear penalty now for Serbia but nothing....
ReplyDeleteMonstruous penalty for Serbia!! How on earth?
ReplyDeletePulling the shirt...nothing....
ReplyDelete83'
ReplyDeleteThe Danish defender pulled Mitrović by the jersey for a short time.
Technically it's PK, but not VAR thing.
I wholly take issue with your view. It's blatant holding.
DeleteWith all due respect, anyone who has ever refereed with VAR knows that slow motion at 0.5 speed makes the situation look twice as serious or twice as harmless as it really was.
DeleteFor evaluating intensity of the pulling/pushing you can't use slow motion at 0.5 and 0.75.
And in this particular situation, the intensity was low
With all the respect*
DeleteThe defender can grab the shirt in such a manifest fashion in football? No he can't.
DeleteIn sunday league it's a stonewall PK
DeleteIt's a penalty everywhere in the world.
DeleteFor me it would be rather penalty anyway but if UEFA informs before the tournament that there will be attention towards holding in the box this must be a foul. I‘m so sorry for Letexier whom I like but maybe his tournament has ended here. Or am I exaggerating? Especially if we remember what happened to Brych 2018…
ReplyDeleteWas a PK for SRB, didn't get whistled. Pulling the shirt, albeit not as strong. We need a replay.
ReplyDeleteNow handball missed in DEN penalty area...
ReplyDeleteLetexier and Dankert were shown in a very bad light tonight, but Ceferin's Slovenia is a beneficiary of that gross mistake, so I'm not sure their presence at the Euro ends here.
ReplyDeleteHate so see unfair things like this.
And you are not biased at all...
DeleteSlovenia were through anyway with a draw
DeleteDrmr, why am I biased? Please back up your statement.
DeleteOliver, you should know better.
DeleteDrmr, of course you're the biased one. You have already stated that it's a PK but afterwardd you defend the opposite as soon as you come across a comment that suits your narrative.
Delete@M
DeleteI think that was exactly the reason. In the match preparation, Mitrović is always marked as a problematic player in terms of objections and use of the elbow (primarily in the jump). The unwritten rule is that the referee's focus goes exactly in that direction... which is natural as it is natural for the referee to follow the ball with his eyes.
Thun If you’re gonna use the Ceferin argument then watch Turpin’s second half. Played right into Slovenia’s hands - Slovenia deserved to qualify anyway
Delete@Thun
DeleteI said TECHNICALLY. Don't take the word out of context.
If PK awarded, it would be rather soft PK
Considering the gross mistake from Letexier and Turpin, Slovenia didn't derve to go through by any means. Actually at this level and with VAR, it's quite shameful to witness this.
Deletedeserve*
Delete*Dankert in this case, not Turpin (even though Turpin's Euro is stained too)
DeleteGuys lets be honest. Letexier game was full under control,players accept him, everything was ok, but decision to not call the penalty in 79th minute is in my view mistake. And, on my very big regret, I think that chamionship is over for French referees there. Franocis should concentrate on OG that will start less than month.
ReplyDeleteI think the shirt pulling is visually clear but had no real impact on the attacker, so no penalty is optimal decision. 2DEN should've been cautioned for unsporting behaviour afterwards, too.
ReplyDeleteI agree, YC for both DEN defender and Mitrovic would be the best solution.
DeleteDont know why he didn't show him YC,maybe he was too oriented on Mitrovic's gestures.
Deleteagree impressive action with slow motion but nothing clear in live speed
DeleteI don't know what to make of this comment. I honestly don't. Holding all of a sudden is no longer punished in football:)
Delete@M
DeleteI think that was exactly the reason. In the match preparation, Mitrović is always marked as a problematic player in terms of objections and use of the elbow (primarily in the jump).
The unwritten rule is that the referee's focus goes exactly in that direction... which is natural as it is natural for the referee to follow the ball with his eyes.
I honestly agree with ESR, I think the video made it look much worse than it actually was.
DeleteThun, maybe you should try to accept other‘s views to start with… And disagree politely with arguments if you wish so, this is what this blog is about. Probably the only place where you can discuss referee decisions objectively. Please adapt to that
DeleteI accept other opinions, for sure, but "shirt pulling is very clear but thad no real impact on the attacker" is impossible to defend. When there's a clear shirt grabbing, of course that impacts big time on the attacker. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise it.
DeleteProfref, I guess that any fair-minded person has already realised I'm here for a serious debate and I'm vividly pro-fairness in sports. I will simply ignore your comment.
DeleteMoving on.
I just realized that you don't understand what impact is in this particular situation...
DeleteWhy my comments are deleted???
DeleteFor me no PK optimal decision too and a YC for Denmarks player as well (missing).
DeleteDrMr, I understand very well, you couldn't back up your opinion.
DeleteI agree with OP. Shirt pulling was too short in duration to have such impact on Mitrovic. On replay (not slow-motioned) it looks like in the exact moment the Mitrovic's shirt is pulled, he falls to the ground. It clearly didn't interrupt his movement, because if he didn't decide to fall, he would easy run away - the force was neglegible.
DeleteThe shirt pulling is so gross and manifest that such explanation ("short in duration") can't be ojectively supported.
DeleteClear PK for Serbia, crucial mistake. Maybe the most evident PK of this Euros together with the one missed by Turpin in the opener.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. I just fear Ceferin might step in for him as his decision, together with Dankert, played a key role in Slovenia going through.
DeleteMost obvious ones happened in one game,and it was 2 of those in Scotland vs Hungary .
DeleteHow 1 of them was not called is still funny to me.
This one also.
Right. This one, along with the second one missed in SCO X HUN and the one missed by Turpin in GER X SCO, are unacceptable for a referee selected to be at a EURO Championship.
DeleteI'd argue the 1H missed pen Scotland vs Hungary was worse than the 2H one, yet barely got any media coverage (although they are both pens)
Delete@Thun
DeletePlease mention Cheferin once again, please. It wasn't enough...
Lots of missed penalty kicks in this Euros. Bad look.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOne of the comments was related to match preparation and possible reason why ref missed YC for Danish defender...
DeleteAll key match incidents could be find here:
ReplyDeletehttps://files.fm/u/uu7s8re695
I think the foul+YC at 30 min. for number 21 of DEN, it's not a good call.
ReplyDeleteBeside that, i would prefer a YC for the DEN coach, during sexond half.
OT: AR2 in PER CAN appeared to pass out from heat exhaustion in later stages of 1st half. Collapsed on field but is conscious again and taken away by medics. Hope he makes a speedy recovery. Over 100 degrees fahrenheit at kick off. Interesting side point for WC2026 prep
ReplyDeleteOt: Scare in Peru vs Canada. the assistant suffered a sudden illness and fell unconscious on the field. The reason for the sudden illness is not known but the local temperature is around 40°C
ReplyDeletehttps://x.com/geglobo/status/1805736884686954769?t=4vHdrgKpJZQ15gDxsoV1fA&s=19
Off-topic:
ReplyDeleteFor me, the offside in Netherlands-France was a good call, pretty much a no-brainer.
But this is what happens when a VAR check takes way too long…
https://www.tiktok.com/@omroepvpro/video/7384162860001152288?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=mobile&sender_web_id=7384652734408197665
They managed to sell a good on-field decision in a very poor way, unfortunately…
It seems I'll again take the unpopular stance among some commenters and say this was a good, even very good performance by Letexier, at least in my personal opinion (unimportant as it is.)
ReplyDeleteLetexier officiated this match in his usually "strong" manner, IMO. It is incredible to see that such a young referee can radiate such strong personality and authority, remain calm in many heated situations and resist any outside influence/pressure. His strong body language and determination even after unpopular decisions show a great amount of mental stability and strength, as well as a very healthy dose of self-confidence, without any of this ever crossing the border of arrogance and self-sufficiency, IMHO. His foul detection in this match was actually really convincing and played a role in it becoming an entertaining and dynamic piece of football. He chose a style which was very different than that of his compatriot Turpin in ENG – SVN, taking a risk in letting the game flow as much as he could in a game that could have boiled over any time, and he actually succeeded, which is a very positive point in his performance, IMO. On the other hand, his authority remained challenged throughout the match, with many players showing signs of protest, but I think he dealt with this well, in accordance with his personality and style of refereeing, as we cannot expect him to be Orsato or Marciniak, but remain true to himself and use his strengths wisely and efficiently, which he IMO did. After all, he never lost control over a game in which many would have struggled. In terms of foul detection, I'd argue that the only clear miss occurred in 25', with a missed FK in favour of DEN (on Højlund), causing some strong dissent from the DEN bench.
Disciplinary wise, Letexier started strongly, issuing a very good YC to SRB4 for SPA in 4'. This established line of showing rather clear YCs continued and helped him maintain overall control: 27' (DEN19, step on ankle/foot, a mandatory card), 30' (DEN21, reckless tackle) and 83' (SRB9, protest/dissent). However, he certainly missed a YC to DEN2 in the controversial situation in 83', which was actually a pretty bad miss and certainly didn't help his overall control and balance (this is the most serious mistake I noted during the broadcast). I'd also argue that a YC was certainly due to DEN coach/bench, for 2-3 very blatant and strong showings of dissent, however it never came, which is a pity.
In terms of PAIs, I think all 4 were solved correctly or supportably, which is an unpopular opinion, but I strongly remain on this stance. In 16', a potential penalty for DEN was correctly rejected IMO: although there was some holding, I think the defender let the attacker go on time and his subsequent fall was his own fault in trying to win a potential penalty. In 72', I think it was again a correct rejection of a penalty appeal by DEN, for what was essentially minimal contact which the attacker exaggerated (the subsequent dissent by DEN coach/bench should have definitely been cautioned). Off-the-ball incident in 78' was certainly an interesting one, with the DEN defender "retaliating" against Mitrović, but I somehow think Mitrović again strongly exaggerated an elbow push which he actually managed to dodge quite skillfully. Letexier surely missed the whole thing, as it occurred behind his back, but I definitely think there was nothing clear and obvious for the VAR to intervene on. Lastly, the most controversial situation from 83', with a penalty appeal by SRB for an alleged holding foul on Mitrović, presented the greatest challenge for Letexier in this match, from a technical and management standpoint. Many will disagree, but I actually agree with Euro Soccer Ref and DrMr completely: while this may have been a penalty from a purely technical standpoint, watching it in slow motion provided by the broadcaster, I actually have strong doubts about the real impact of this holding on Mitrović. I'd argue that Mitrović started falling as soon as he felt any holding and, by inertia, succeeded in making it stronger than it really was (he is a master of this "art", I have to admit that). I'll be honest and say I would have probably whistled a penalty there, but an experienced referee like Letexier (with a vastly greater knowledge and experience than me) probably saw through it and decided otherwise. Therefore, I find the decision supportable, which makes the non-intervention by the VAR correct in my view. As for the management aspect, while Mitrović was correctly cautioned for subsequent dissent, the missing caution for DEN2 (Andersen) remains as the biggest mistake for me, as he was the one causing their altercation and clearly behaved in an unsporting manner. This moment pushed Letexier's control to the limit, but him concentrating on Mitrović's antics is what probably caused him (great explanation by DrMr in a comment above). It is worthy to highlight the exceptionally fair actions by Kasper Schmeichel in this situation, who not only prevented the physical altercation, but managed to calm Mitrović down enough for him not to cause any worse problems for Letexier, thus showing a great example of fair play.
DeleteBoth ARs faced some challenging situations and dealt with them correctly, but AR2 needs to be complimented for two very good decisions, both of which resulted in correct cancelling of goals: 23' (ball out of play after a CK, goal by DEN canceled) and 53' (great offside in a tight situation, goal by SRB cancelled).
Taking everything into consideration, I'd argue that, in a challenging match and in spite of some mistakes, Letexier managed to present a very good performance and needs to be praised (although I'm sure he will face strong public criticism, much like Makkelie).
Very good stated remarks, thanks a lot
DeleteOT: I am gutted for AR Humberto Panjoj. Heat injuries are serious and not something to take lightly . I wish him a speedy recovery.
ReplyDeleteAccording to what I've heard. I didn't watch the match. Mario Escobar (GUA) and his VAR team led by Juan Soto (VEN). Gave a MASTERCLASS in how to be garbage referee's and do an absolutely disgraceful job. It's said that he was worse today than was during his unforgettable (regrettable) 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final.
Please excuse my language. But it irritates me to no end and I strongly feel that Escobar needs be exposed for all to see how truly terrible he is. And hopefully this becomes a teachable moment on how not to referee a match.
Thank you.
*Again please accept my most sincerest apologies for my language.
Escobar was the referee for Wales-Iran in the world cup iirc? So that’s not a surprise really
DeleteFully agree with you Arbiter: heat disease and injuries are very serious and we see it every summer during the heat wave
DeleteI saw the game. I saw a referee smiling and joking with the players hoping tgey follow him that way, ignoring severe brutal play, not even trying to sanction it, except one situation when the VAR forced him to give a clear RC. The most disgusting scene was Escobar seeing a Peruvian player giving a soft, but clear headbutt, he talked with him, smiling friendly and did - nothing. After I saw most matches I must say, that most referees were def. better than their image but this guy is simply a catastrophe.
DeleteJust if someone is interested: Out of 10 points I would rate the Conmebol referees as foll. :
DeleteARG-CDN Valenzuela VEN 7/10
PER-CHI Sampaio BRA 8/10
ECU-VEN Roldan KOL 5/10
MEX-JAM Elfath USA 8/10
USA-BOL Mariani ITA 8/10
ARG-PAN Maza Gomez CHI ?
KOL-PAR Herrera ARG 7/10
BRA-CORI Cesar Ramos MEX 9/10
PER-CDN Escobar GUA 2/1ARG-CHI Matonte URU.?
Escobar 2/10
DeleteMatonte and Maza Gomez I did not watch.
Maza 6/10
DeleteMatonte 8/10
If we look at the knock-out schedule, the following is clear already:
ReplyDelete- Germany, Spain, France and Portugal are all in the upper bracket.
*Potential quarter-finals (5-Jul-24): Germany vs Spain and France vs Portugal.
- England, Italy, Netherlands, Austria and the winner of E are in the lower bracket.
*Potential quarter-final (6-Jul-24): Italy/Switzerland vs England. The second one with Austria, a bit more lower profile.
By how England, Netherlands and Italy have played so far, a bit disappointing that they are in the same part. At least, for me as a football enthusiastic.
Referees with a MD1 + MD2 appearance (e.g. Zwayer, Vincic, Oliver) will most likely work in a R16 game.
Furthermore, in QF upper bracket:
- We can pencil Anthony Taylor in one of the QF of July 5 if his game goes well today. Taylor seems a certainty as his compatriot Oliver should normally make an appearance in R16 (after no appearance in MD3).
- The other QF name in the upper bracket will be Orsato or Makkelie.
In lower bracket:
- Turpin seems a certainty there, with France on the opposite.
I have the assumption that both Nyberg and Letexier will leave after GS to prepare for the Olympics, by how they were managed. Nyberg was ‘over-used’ in group. Four appearances and not thee best games tbh.
Letexier was not with a French VAR (but Dingert, who is not the highest ranked German VMO). Delajod had to join Brisard as VMO’s of Turpin, therefore there is full focus on Turpin imo.
Well I ignored the blog in order to watch back yesterday's games without spoilers and I come back to a small war in the comment section 😃. In my opinion Letexier's performance was good, expected level. He lost his line a bit in the second half (Mitrović 48' was the clearest missed offence but there were a handful more too) which meant his grip on the match detiorated a bit as time past. It was more than justifiable not to send off Serbia no.4 with a SYC, in his 2H scene I thought he was fouled more than fouling, and the overlooked impeding foul by him in the 1H wasn't really SPA. Euro Soccer Ref (and DrMr) share my view on 83', indeed orating it very well. 78' is a foul by Andersen on Mitrovic, but it comes only after a Mitrovic foul on Andersen outside the box, and the penalty area offence was 'discrete' enough for VARs to sensibly say "nothing doing here". I didn't like the behaviour of Denmark's manager and was surprised he didn't collect a caution over the ninety minutes. Very well seen by Rahmouni for the disallowed goal(s). Coming to a final judgement, I'd rate this as an 8,3 performance by Francois Letexier.
ReplyDeleteWe miss ESR for putting his links regarding the video clips. Thank to him for the awesome work !!!
ReplyDelete+1 for last remark. Disgraceful to see what was thrown towards Rahmouni after he correctly ruled the Serbia goal offside. Imagine there was another Klyver incident... 😡.
ReplyDeleteLooking at today games made me realise the Com made a total mess with the appointments. The third place from group B is already eliminated and the other team will be from groups A/E/F. There are small chances that it will be from group E but not impossible yet. There are scenarios in which Hungary's or Romania's qualification will depend on the result from Kovacs's game. Or Romania's next opponent in case they finish third and above Hungary in ranking, waiting to see if the group which of A or F third placed teams will qualify. Furthermore, Ukraine has two English referees in a row, Scharer has to work without one of his AR. To say that all this would have been better to be avoided is mild. I don't doubt the profesionalism of the referees, I just hope that we will not end with a problematic scenario in which media will have a motive to start an attack against the referees in case of mistakes. Things will get clearer after the group E will finish but as things are now Rosetti has all the reasons to be worried.
ReplyDeleteFor this reason, I would have saved as many referees as possible whose national teams play in Group A for Group D (and vice versa), referees whose national teams play in Group B for Group C (and vice versa), and referees whose national teams play in Group E for Group F (and vice versa), since in the round of 16 combinations A-D, B-C and E-F were excluded according to the tournament mode.
Delete... as well as Glenn Nyberg and Facundo Raúl Tello Figueroa.
DeleteAccording to German refereeing Facebook Page, Orsato and Marciniak are sent home after GS. What do you hear? What information do you have? Where will this topic be discussed in this forum?
ReplyDeleteWhy Marciniak sent home? His performance wasn't Bad and he seemed to be rehabilitated
Hard to belive!
Deletehttps://www.facebook.com/share/p/88qLcW9BmpGqf4Sm/
DeleteThe news appeared first in the Polish media and then in Bild. I think the German facebook page just took it from there just like happened in my country. It was the former referee Rafal Rostkowski who announced it. What was not clearly stated is if this was just his personal prediction or has some sources. Personally, I think that it is not so impossible as it might look initially.
DeleteWe must always repeat the same things every big tournament... nothing official, only rumors, and these informations are not made public (the referees who stay and the ones who are sent home). So most of the time it's only speculation as long as you read or not their names in the appointments.
DeleteAs responsible of this blog, I never published such rumors as official news, or giving them relevance. It's unfair because everything can be false. Let's stay at what happens and if anything is made public in indirect way.
I would also delete these comments, but since there will be always somebody writing and asking....
i agree to send orsato, but not for marciniak. Orsato just throw away chance for KO stage, Marciniak sligthly better. But im not surprise for this rumor
Delete+1, I follow your analysis completely. The reason that Dankert did not call the PK might be, that for him it was no "clear" error either.
ReplyDeleteHighlights:
ReplyDeletehttps://files.fm/u/4anx8r4j6n
DrMr, your comments were not deleted, sometimes blogspot experiences problems and you don't see your comments, really sorry for that, but it ca't be fixed.
ReplyDeleteDrMr, your comments were not deleted, sometimes blogspot experiences problems and you don't see your comments, really sorry for that, but it ca't be fixed.
ReplyDeleteLetexier game full of borderline incidents, for sure something very challenging not only for him, but also for VAR.
ReplyDeletePlease find below my opinions:
72' definitely not enough to whistle a penalty, correct play on
78' off the ball incident, impossible to assess directly by Letexier and also difficult for AR2, focused on offside, I think in this case VAR had to think very well before taking any action, for me penalty could have been possible, but the situation is definitely not a 100% one, and. most important, it starts outside, I would dare to say that Dankert made this reasoning and he thought that he couldn't send Letexier to video only for the last part of the situation, and what happened before was not a red card for any reason for sure, so very, very borderline, but no intervention can be accepted, I think, still something that remains as very controversial because not judged at all
83' Another very borderline incident, based on ESR video, minute 01:00 of the clip, replay from the ball kicker point of view, I think we can say indeed that defender stopped his action in the right time to avoid a VAR intervention, the effects on attacker are not 100% clear, in the meaning that the contact was maybe a bit used, in case of penalty, absoluely full support to Letexier, but this one is to be discussed as well, not a 100% consistent fall if we look at the severity of offense
90'+4 I can support about the illegal use of arms, not an arm moving clearly against opponent, but rather defender jumping and attacker finding himself below, still, could have been whistled, but without evidence, very different from the extremely clear HUN - SCO case, but then, if the ball hits the arm of defender in that position in the second part of the action, for me 100% penalty and I wouldn't understand VAR to stay silent, maybe he was not sure about the touch.
So for me all is supportable, unless the handball if happened like we can see in the clip. But still, very difficult for Letexier. Despite of many incidents, I think the French referee can't be blamed too much and most of the assessments concern 100% Dankert.
I wanted also to say, reading your comments, about the mess by committee, as you described it, about appointments with referee from the nation of the possible opponent in the next game, I think we can't be so harsh and we can't blame them. In this case I must absolutely defend committe. With all these criteria to consider, for making an appointment, it's absolutely human that you have to renounce to something. To be honest, this story of the next opponent can be also seen as related to the modern idea of football and refereeing, where everything is totally scrutinized, even more than the needed. There wouldn't be discussions to get the best referee for the best game, today committee must think to everything in addition to that. It's definitely not easy and not a joke, to be honest, I don't envy them for sure. They are making big efforts under this point of view, trying to save names. You can criticize them for appointing referees who according to your opinions don't deserve a game, but definitely you can't blame them for this reason. It's simpy impossible to keep an eye on everything and to ensure the best possible assignment, they just had to call 18 or 19 referees, all from nations not in this EURO, and this would have been only solution, but of course impossible. For me, enough that referee can handle the two teams in the game for which he is assigned, the rest is definitely something extra, not mandatory.
ReplyDeleteI just want to know what's your opinion abou inforrmation that circulated after the Italy vs Croatia match and that is that Makkelie has husband that is Italian.
DeleteOf course media and people will create suspicionfrom that fact alone.
Could that have been avoidedand should UEFA thought about that facts?
First of all, it doesn't seem a fair thing to me to investigate the private life of a referee and what reported can be just rumors. The fact, even if true, is 100% irrelevant for getting an appointment, as it should be. As you can see, people will always find something to speculate on.
Delete