François Letexier in charge of Europa League final, his third European major final after UEFA Supercup in 2023 and EURO 2024. Good luck to the officiating team!
20 May 2026, 21:00 CET - Istanbul, TUR (Beşiktaş Park)
SC FREIBURG (GER) - ASTON VILLA FC (ENG)
Referee: François Letexier FRA
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
Reserve Assistant Referee: José Enrique Naranjo Pérez ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod FRA
Video Assistant Referee Support: Dennis Johan Higler NED
Assistant Referee 1: Cyril Mugnier FRA
Assistant Referee 2: Mehdi Rahmouni FRA
Fourth Official: Alejandro José Hernández Hernández ESP
Reserve Assistant Referee: José Enrique Naranjo Pérez ESP
Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard FRA
Assistant Video Assistant Referee: Willy Delajod FRA
Video Assistant Referee Support: Dennis Johan Higler NED
UEFA Referee Observer: Roberto Rosetti ITA
UEFA Delegate: Alexandr Keplin KAZ
UEFA Delegate: Alexandr Keplin KAZ
Good luck to officiating team tonight! It will be intense!
ReplyDeleteGood early YC, clear decision.
ReplyDeleteYep,no messing around .
DeleteOne more correct yellow card issued to Buendia!
ReplyDeleteDon't think its even a foul,
DeleteYeah he only tried to decapitate him with one arm. Clear YC
DeleteAnd one more correct yellow card to Cash!
ReplyDeleteshould be red
ReplyDeleteI dont agree
DeleteYC ok
DeleteA sending-off would certainly have been supported by the VAR; nevertheless, I dare say we cannot conclude that the caution was a clear error, the the contact is initially with the ball, and then with the opponent’s foot, before finally, eventually, making contact with the shin.
Deleteno compromise
ReplyDeleteFirst YC: correct, no doubt.
ReplyDeleteSecond YC: opponent exaggerated contact, as we know it's always done, but correct decision by French referee.
Third YC: maybe even more than YC...
So far a game in which we haven't seen, thank goodness, a "final approach" by the referee.
The third YC Letexier gave was because of Cash’s reaction, not because of the foul itself, from what I saw… the foul itself was at the very least a YC
DeleteThe fact that Cash is playing the ball first and that there is. I pressure on the leg is saving him otherwise it would have been a clear RC.
ReplyDeleteCertainly high end YC. The block lacked intensity and impact so VAR won’t get involved
ReplyDeleteOT:
ReplyDeleteVery challenging last couple of minutes for Marcenaro in Palermo vs Catanzaro match where Palermo neede one more goal.
Just to sumarize added time,+6 was added time;
90+3 RC,atleast minute or 2 were lost
90+5 kicking the ball away YC
90+5 delaying restart,YC
Time when all ended-96:00.
Conclusion-be dirty,get YC's and do timewasting as much as possible,atleast in Italy.
I thought Siebert time management in Arsenal vs Atletico was the worst .
Marcenaro overtook him with turbo engine.
Game was also very tense, he had things under control when result was under control.
When Palermo scored 2nd,everything fell apart.
Well, I had watched only first half due to EL final.
DeleteIndeed it had been very good performance when still 1-0, with some correct calls like a free kick and YC outside the box.
Now I will watch the very last minutes...
I mean correct RC,foul from the back through the player.
DeleteBut time management and with his decisions irritating players who were alre on the edge.
After watching, I can say that it was a definitely good Marcenaro in terms of crucial decisions and braveness, something that can allow us to think he has improved after rather very poor times, but indeed the management of added time was unacceptable. He whistled the end a few second after 96:00, at least 1 minute and half if not 2 were wasted by players. Unfortunately, some referees don't pay any attention to that. No guidelines by committee, and in the end one should agree with Collina and his fight against time wasting, it's unacceptable that a team can do what they want.
DeleteMaybe there could be a middle way between not caring at all and giving 10 minutes or more, like FIFA competitions, but many referees, I repeat again, don't want to be worried about that.
Yep but then what can we say when Palermo players have something to say against Marcenaro?
DeleteNothing,cause who knows what could have happened in those minute or 2.
This way he prevented them in a way,but then again woulda coulda shoulda.
I agree,there needs to be a way to avoid these type of scene cause refs dont need not attention on them after quality match that they handled.
The ball has rolled kindly for Letexier this evening. Its been an excellent display.
ReplyDeleteVery easy game for the French referee, that's also a factor in a referee's career, you can be lucky by getting such a game in a final and nothing will be discussed.
DeleteLetexier gave an early signal with the cards in first half, but nothing more than that, no crucial incidents, controversial situations, a team definitely weaker than the other.
It is said that a match without the referee attracting attention on him is the best. One could agree, but I think it is better to say that a game with a good officiating and correct decisions taken by referee, seen by players and fans, is what a referee should "dream".
Little to add about Letexier's performance. Firm and solid, in addition to desperately passing the ball around in a final stretch that was already decided on the scoreboard.
ReplyDeleteAnother successful final for the Letexier team. There wasn’t much to say about the match itself it was a comfortable night for the crew with excellent control throughout. Performances like this will only boost Letexier confidence heading into the World Cup and strengthen his chances of receiving big appointments. Already having Semifinal of Club World Cup
ReplyDeleteAgree with Chefren about the easy match but nevertheless very convincing performance by Letexier crew just before WC. Congratulations to French referees !
ReplyDeleteWhen we think about it,last 10 years there were small amount of challenging matches in Europa Finals.
ReplyDeleteWhat comes to mind is Real and Atletico 2016 with Clattenburg,Real and Juve 2017 Brch,maybe Bayern and PSG 2020 with Orsato.
Europa League is different story,more challenging finals were there.
Of course,1st comes to mind is Taylor and Roma Sevilla match.
Last year also with Zwayer and English Final.
Sevilla and Inter 2020 for Makkelie had some tense momments.
Conference League had Roma vs Feyenord and Fiorentina vs West Ham that comes to my mind.
Point is that refs are well prepared,teams are not that dirty except if game is not very tense like for ex.Sevilla vs Roma and results are more than often one sided.
It's a shame that the controversies surrounding the 2023 final and the Germany vs. Spain match at Euro 2024 have kept him away from major European games for the past two years. And to be honest, his aura of being considered a potential referee for a Champions League final, in my opinion, has faded. Taylor will be 48 years old soon and it won't be long before he retires from refereeing.
Delete@Lincoln when you see his performances this year in UCL you understand why he's not a contender at the end of the season imo.
DeleteExceptional performance from Francois Letexier and his team tonight. Great fitness,disciplinary control, authoritative,trusted by players. This how things goes when you put the things on right place immediately! Congrats to Letexier. I think that we can expect very big things from him at WC!
ReplyDeleteTop class performance in a game of normal difficulty, but that's a case also thanks to technical accuracy and consistency applied by François Letexier throughout. The Frenchman didn't make his task more difficult than needed and - here my personal opinion - any "big" match should be refereed in this way.
ReplyDeleteExcellent feeling when cards were mandatory and when the challenges were only careless. So refreshing to see that, instead of the often seen pseudo-management, a blatant SPA is cautioned early in the game. Also, both Buendía's and Cash' cautions were optimal, even though some would argue for RCs being given.
Both assistant referees deserve words of praise as well! Especially Cyril Mugnier for being extremely alert while preventing possible altercations between players in 20' and 87'!
François Letexier understands refereeing how it should be. A professional who doesn't make his job unnecessarily difficult, consistently applies the LotG no matter what and gives a feeling of a man who knows what he is doing on the field of play. That was appreciated today by both sets of players and rightly so.
+1
Delete+2, I was going to write y own comment but you said everything necessary
DeleteCompletely agree
DeleteClips
ReplyDelete05' YC Treu (FRE) for holding
https://streamff.link/v/098b68c0
15' YC Buendía (AVL) for reckless use of arm
https://streamff.link/v/1ad8ec28
21' YC Cash (AVL) for reckless studs challenge
https://streamff.link/v/51bb8b3d
20', 87' Great alertness by Cyril Mugnier
https://streamff.link/v/fd06aff5
Lovely moment at the start in the tunnel where one of the ARs makes the mascots day by letting him carry his flag!
ReplyDeleteVideo is on TNT Sports Instagram for those looking
OT: CBF 🤝🏻 DFB
ReplyDeleteGermany 🇩🇪 x Finland 🇫🇮
Ref: Matheus Delgado Candançan
Ar1: Victor Hugo Imazu dos Santos
Ar2: Alex And Ribeiro
4 ref: Paulo Cesar Zanovelli
VAR: Rodrigo D'Alonso Ferreira
AVAR: Rodrigo Guarizo Ferreira
Brazil 🇧🇷 x Panama 🇵🇦
Ref: Daniel Schlager
Ar1: Sven Washitzki-Günther
Ar2: Rafael Foltyn
4 ref: Florian Badstübner
VAR: Pascal Müller
AVAR: Robert Schröder
https://www.espn.com.br/futebol/artigo/_/id/16737565/cbf-acerta-intercambio-federacao-alema-arbitragem-jogo-veja-detalhes?fbclid=IwdGRjcAR7LTJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR7nMcX5k_j7jSNLMDj22Q-L3DbahktnIAcXSKe9wae1V7YNxMvtRCT9etFL2A_aem_q1yXYJtC6JUUt7R7GCrKoA
How is it possible that Foltyn is AR in Brazil on the 31st, as he is in UCL final on the 30th?
DeleteThis is what ESPN has learned; let's see if there will be any changes.
DeleteSome appointments for international friendlies has been revealed by UEFA
ReplyDeleteSCOCUR Goga Kikacheishvili GEO
CZEKOS Michal Očenáš SVK
POLUKR Filip Glova SVK
BULMNE Ioánnis Papadópoulos GRE
SVKMLT Mihály Káprály HUN
NORSWE Balázs Berke HUN
AUTTUN Jérémie Pignard FRA
CROBEL Rade Obrenovič SVN
GIBBVI Antoine Paul Chiaramonti AND
NEDALG Jakob Semler AUT
POLNGA Marian Alexandru Barbu ROU
ANDLIE Javier Alberola Rojas ESP
ESPIRQ Florian Badstübner GER
GEOBHR Duncan Nicolson SCO
BLRSYR Əliyar Ağayev AZE
SVKMNE Wojciech Myć POL
MDABUL Tural Qurbanov AZE
SMRBAN Walter Altmann AUT
BELTUN Anastásios Sidirópoulos GRE
GIBCAY Antoine Paul Chiaramonti AND
ALBLUX Genc Nuza KOS
LIECYP Anojen Kanagasingam SUI
CROSVN Bence Csonka HUN
GREITA Yigal Frid ISR
BLRBFA Rafael Shafeyev RUS
JPNISL Damian Kos POL
Delete(as a part of JPN-POL exchange, earlier this year Kōki Nagamine handled several games in Polish Ekstraklasa)
I hate this charisma thing around Letexier sorry to say so but we should be fair remember Arsenal Burnley rollercoaster on Monday if that was a red card, this is also a crystal clear red card in EL final when the was still level at 0-0.
ReplyDeleteAs if some of you fear to write a negative comment on the French officials just here wondering
Do you really compare a sliding tackle from behind to a 50/50 challenge where the ball was played?
DeleteAnyone knows the championship playoff final ref?
ReplyDeleteI think it will be Gillet due to the fact hes the only referee capable of refereeing the fixture that hasn’t been appointed for a League game.
DeleteYeah it's Jarred Gillett
DeleteOT: Very conflicted here in my assessment of this but Ryan Lee (FIFA 2026) has had a very impressive game in the Scottish Premiership playoff final first leg.
ReplyDeleteIn a game with two teams looking to play football his approach really reminds me of Pinheiro in a way. Just blending in to the background, quite passive, allowing the football to take focus.
The traditionalist in me would say that he could have been a bit more reactive at points and possibly cautioned one or two players but I have really enjoyed this game that's been allowed to flow and became a spectacle because of it. I would be interested to see how he coped in a game that's isn't so football focused but overall a very impressive performance and knew that I have been pleasantly surprised with.
https://x.com/David_Dein_FC/status/2057442288486207689 Refcam from Arsenal/Burnley (includes Havertz foul)
ReplyDeleteWOLFSBURG - PADERBORN (Benjamin Brand)
ReplyDelete06' Play-on after potential SPA pushing
https://streamff.com/v/727730a6
09' YC 2PAD for SPA; possible DOGSO but optimal decision was taken
https://streamff.link/v/7e9a372c
35' PAI pushing; interesting incident, basically such push should be deemed as a foul but maybe not enough evidence for VAR
https://streamff.link/v/ec71a36f
42' Possible YC 17PAD for reckless challenge
https://streamff.link/v/2f7c7cd7
52' FK after simulation; it really shows how easily most of referees awards defensive free kicks, just to avoid any controversy, not going into assessing incidents adequately
https://streamff.link/v/4684048a
77' Provocative behaviour of 4WOL in front of opponents bench, should be cautioned
https://streamff.link/v/47d9477d
87' Correct YC 10WOL for reckless tackle but missed off-the-ball tactical holding earlier on
https://streamff.link/v/b3849356
90+2', 90+4' YC and 2YC 3PAD for blatant holding and reckless tackle, no doubts here
https://streamff.link/v/d89532fc
Overall a good performance from the referee but I'm not a fan of his laidback, even phlegmatic style.