This Friday, as part of Matchday 25 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) will face Monaco (7th) at the Parc des Princes (kick-off at 8:45 PM, CET). The referee for the match has been chosen: Ruddy Buquet (49 years old). He has extensive experience in Ligue 1, with 321 matches under his belt.
The referee will be assisted by Benjamin Pages and Nicolas Danos. The fourth official will be Thomas Leonardo. Video assistance will be provided by Jérôme Brisard and Hakim Ben El Hadj.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Buquet as referee, we can expect yellow cards to be shown frequently during the match. Indeed, while the national average per match is 3.53 yellow cards (standard deviation of 0.39), Friday’s referee has averaged 3.90 yellow cards per match throughout his Ligue 1 career (Transfermarkt figures). If this is for the better protection of the players, so much the better. However, dialogue should not be forgotten.
Direct Red Cards –
The referee on Friday was less strict when it came to direct red cards. Buquet has averaged 0.17 dismissals per match in his career, while the national average per match is 0.17 (standard deviation of 0.07). Therefore, there is no question of letting bad behavior go unpunished, nor of handing out punishments indiscriminately.
Second Yellow Cards –
Ruddy Buquet usually sends off a player after their first yellow card in a Ligue 1 match. The national average is 0.09 (standard deviation of 0.03), while his is 0.13. Given the high number of yellow cards issued initially, this isn’t illogical.
Penalties –
Finally, regarding penalties, the referee on Friday was below average with 0.29 penalties awarded per match, while the Ligue 1 average is 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).
