CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Who is François Letexier, the referee for Real Madrid vs Chelsea quarterfinal first leg?
The Santiago Bernabéu is all set for the visit of the Premier League big spenders who are having a very tough season in England.
Real Madrid have already been crowned Champions of Europe on 14 occasions -- double that of any other club -- and few would bet much against them going all the way again in 2023. Standing in their way next is the Premier League’s Chelsea, hot on the heels of another English team, Liverpool, who were easily dispatched by Carlo Ancelotti’s men over two legs in the previous round. Despite their pedigree, it’s fair to say that Los Blancos have timed it well being drawn against them, with both struggling to find any real form this season.
- Real Madrid vs Chelsea: Follow the live action here!
Ahead of the first leg against the Blues on Wednesday, we thought we’d check out the man in the middle, namely François Letexier.
Who is François Letexier?
UEFA has appointed Frenchman François Letexier to referee the big game at the Santiago Bernabéu and this will be the first time that he serves as the main referee in a game involving Los Blancos. He has, though, already refereed a match involving Chelsea this season, which they won against Dinamo Zagreb.
Letexier, who is 33 years old, has been an international referee since 2017 and holds the Elite rank, the highest level awarded by UEFA to European referees. As one of the youngest referees on the international scene, he is also one of the least experienced. He has only refereed seven matches in the Champions League, and this will be his fourth of the current campaign.
Although this will be his debut with the whistle for Real Madrid, their paths have crossed before in another role, and it happened just last season, also in a match against Chelsea. Letexier was the fourth official in Madrid’s 1-3 victory in the first leg of the quarterfinal at Stamford Bridge. Now, UEFA has handed him the opportunity to relive that experience, but as the main referee of the match. What’s déjà vu in French?
Who is the VAR for Real Madrid vs Chelsea?
Sitting away from the pitch is Video Assistant Referee Tomasz Kwiatkowski from Poland, assisted by Frenchman Willy Delajod.
Compatriots Cyril Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni will be Letexier’s assistants running the lines while Stephanie Frappart will be the fourth official for the game, and you may remember she was the one in charge of refereeing in November during Ancelotti’s team’s 5-1 win over Celtic. A good memory for Madrid fans.