BERLIN (AP) — UEFA has designated French referee François Letexier to take charge of the highly anticipated European Championship final clash between Spain and England. The match is scheduled for Sunday at Berlin’s iconic Olympiastadion.
At 35 years old, Letexier stands out as one of the youngest referees entrusted with officiating a major international final in recent years. To provide context, the referees who oversaw the previous three men’s Euros finals were considerably older, aged 48, 41, and 41 at the time of their respective appointments. This selection signals UEFA’s confidence in younger officials on the biggest stages.
Letexier’s journey to the Euro Final Ref designation includes officiating three matches during Euro 2024. Notably, these included Spain’s dominant 4-1 victory over Georgia in the round of 16. Across his Euro 2024 assignments, Letexier maintained a relatively lenient approach, not awarding any penalty kicks and refraining from issuing red cards. He showed a total of just 10 yellow cards throughout these games. One notable yellow card was given to Serbian forward Aleksandar Mitrovic for simulation in the penalty area during a 0-0 draw against Denmark.
Significantly, Letexier’s Euro 2024 matches were devoid of any major video assistant referee (VAR) controversies. This included the tightly contested 2-2 draw between Albania and Croatia, suggesting clear and decisive on-field officiating. Further ensuring consistency, the VAR specialist for the final will also be French, Jérôme Brisard, indicating UEFA’s preference for established officiating teams.
A notable characteristic of Letexier’s refereeing style is his infrequent use of red cards. In the nine high-stakes matches he officiated in the Champions League and Europa League from the group stage onwards last season, he issued only one red card. This was shown to Bayern Munich’s French defender Dayot Upamecano.
This season marked a step up in profile for Letexier’s UEFA assignments. His notable matches include the thrilling 3-3 draw between Real Madrid and Manchester City in the Champions League quarterfinals, Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-0 away win against Roma in the Europa League semifinals, and the UEFA Super Cup at the season’s start between Manchester City and Sevilla. Letexier’s consistent performances in these high-pressure games have solidified his reputation within UEFA. He has been a FIFA-listed referee for international matches for seven years, steadily climbing the ranks.
Adding further experience to the officiating team, Szymon Marciniak of Poland will serve as the fourth official for the final. Marciniak is a highly respected referee in his own right, having officiated both the 2022 World Cup final and the 2023 Champions League final. However, Marciniak also navigated a season marked by controversy following some contentious decisions. Notably, Marciniak and his team made impactful stoppage-time decisions in Champions League matches involving Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the semifinals, as well as Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle in the group stage.
AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024
