The French match official has already been in the spotlight in this edition of the tournament. This will be his 27th Champions League game.
Who is François Letexier, the referee for Barcelona vs Newcastle United in the Champions League?
UEFA has released the referee assignments for the Champions League matches scheduled for Wednesday March 18, and the showdown between Barcelona and Newcastle will be officiated by French referee François Letexier.
The French official has already been in the spotlight this season. During the Benfica–Real Madrid match, Vinícius requested the activation of the anti‑racism protocol after reporting that Benfica’s Prestianni insulted him following Real Madrid’s opening goal in Lisbon.
Letexier, 36, has been a fully licensed international referee since 2017 when he gained his FIFA badge. Prior to that he had spent one year officiating in France’s Ligue 2 followed by another year in the French top flight.
Controversy in Champions League debut
He oversaw his first Champions League match in December 2020 - the matchday 6 group game between Midtjylland and Liverpool which was played behind closed doors. The hosts were controversially awarded a penalty after a VAR review, ultimately denying Klopp’s Reds a win.
In total, he has whistled 26 Champions League games including the 2022/23 quarter final between Real Madrid and Chelsea and was back at the Bernabéu the following year at the same stage for the frenzied 3-3 draw between Madrid and Manchester City.
In the tournament he has issued a total of 89 yellow cards and sent eight players off - six of them direct reds. Letexier has refereed 10 ties involving English teams and has come face to face with Barcelona just once - the last group game of the 2024/25 competition away at Borussia Dortmund. Ferran Torres’ late strike handed the Catalans a 2-3 win at Iduna Park.
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