This Friday, as part of the 9th matchday of the 2026-2027 Ligue 1 season, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) will face Le Havre (18th) at the Stade Océane (kick-off at 7:00 PM, CET). The referee for the match has been named: 37-year-old François Letexier. He brings a wealth of experience to the pitch, having officiated 194 Ligue 1 matches to date.
Letexier will be assisted by Cyril Mugnier and Steven Torregrossa, with Karim Abed serving as the fourth official. Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duties will be handled by Hamid Guenaoui and William Lavis.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Letexier in charge, one might expect yellow cards to be issued quite freely. While the national average per match stands at 3.53 (with a standard deviation of 0.39), Letexier has averaged 4.00 yellow cards per match over the course of his Ligue 1 career (according to Transfermarkt data). Players will need to be particularly careful. If this helps protect the players without disrupting the flow of the game, then all the better.
Straight red cards –
The referee for this Friday’s match is significantly less severe when it comes to straight red cards. Letexier has averaged 0.16 sendings-off per match throughout his career, compared to a national average of 0.17 (with a standard deviation of 0.07). This suggests an approach focused more on cooling tempers than on handing out sanctions indiscriminately.
Second yellow cards –
François Letexier is not in the habit of sending off a player following their first yellow card in a Ligue 1 match. While the national average stands at 0.09 (with a standard deviation of 0.03), his figure is also 0.09. Given that he often issues a high number of yellow cards early on, it is notable that red cards are far less frequent in his matches—ideally a result of effective game management, a quality consistent with his involvement in international competitions.
Penalties –
Finally, regarding penalties, the official in charge this Friday sits above the average, awarding 0.37 penalties per match, compared to a Ligue 1 mean of 0.34 (with a standard deviation of 0.08).
