This Friday, as part of Matchday 6 of Ligue 1 2024-2025, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) take on Rennes (8th) at the Parc des Princes (kick-off 9pm, broadcast on beIN SPORTS). Hakim Ben El Hadj (46) has been chosen to referee the match. He has a wealth of experience in Ligue 1, with 128 matches to his name.
He will be assisted by Gwenaël Pasqualotti and Valentin Evrard. The 4th referee will be Faouzi Benchabane. Video assistance will be provided by Cyril Gringore and William Lavis.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Ben El Hadj on the whistle, we can expect yellow cards to come out very quickly during the match. Indeed, while the national average per match is 3.53 (standard deviation 0.39), Friday’s referee has given an average of 3.80 yellows per match in his entire Ligue 1 career (Transfermarkt figures). That’s very high, and let’s hope it’s not without dialogue to avoid tension.
Direct red cards –
The man on the whistle this Sunday is far less severe when it comes to direct exclusions, as he has a low tendency when it comes to handing out direct red cards. In fact, Ben El Hadj has handed out 0.11 exclusions per match in his career, whereas the national average per match is 0.17 (standard deviation 0.07). So there’s no question of punishing in all directions.
Second yellow cards –
Finally, Hakim Ben El Hadj is not particularly accustomed to sending off a player after his first yellow card in a match, as he issued a second warning to the same player an average of 0.09 times per match. This is exactly the national average (standard deviation 0.03). With a lot of yellows and few reds, this is relatively logical.
Penalties –
Finally, when it comes to penalties, the man on the whistle on Friday is lower than average, with 0.24 penalties whistled per match, compared with the Ligue 1 average of 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).
