This Saturday, as part of Matchday 24 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) will face Le Havre (13th) at the Stade Océane (kick-off at 9:05 PM, CET). The referee for the match has been chosen: Hakim Ben El Hadj (47 years old). He has considerable experience in Ligue 1, with 149 matches under his belt.
He will be assisted by Huseyin Ocak and Cyril Mungnier. The fourth official will be Antoine Valnet. Video assistance will be provided by Jérémie Pignard and Julian Grelot.
Yellow Cards –
With Mr. Ben El Hadj as referee, we can expect yellow cards to be handed out rather quickly during the match. Indeed, while the national average per match is 3.53 (standard deviation of 0.39), Saturday’s referee has averaged 3.74 yellow cards per match throughout his Ligue 1 career (Transfermarkt figures). If this is to ensure player safety, so much the better. Dialogue shouldn’t be forgotten.
Direct Red Cards –
The referee on Saturday was much less severe when it came to direct red cards. Ben El Hadj has an average of 0.11 dismissals per match in his career, while the national average is 0.17 (standard deviation of 0.07). We can hope for some restraint.
Second Yellow Cards –
Abdelatif Kherradji doesn’t particularly tend to send 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 average is 0.08. With many yellow cards and few red cards, it’s reasonable to assume he only reduces a team to 10 men in cases of serious misconduct or foul play.
Penalties –
Finally, regarding penalties, the referee on Saturday also underperformed, awarding 0.26 per match, compared to the Ligue 1 average of 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).
