This Saturday, as part of Matchday 23 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season, Paris Saint-Germain (2nd) will face Metz (18th) at the Parc des Princes (kick-off at 9:05 PM, CET). The referee for the match has been chosen: Abdelatif Kherradji (40 years old). He has limited experience in Ligue 1, having only officiated 25 matches.
He will be assisted by Huseyin Ocak and Ludovic Reyes. The fourth official will be Karim Abed. Video assistance will be provided by Christian Guillard and Jérôme Brisard.
Yellow Cards –
With Mr. Kherradji as referee, we can expect yellow cards to be shown relatively quickly during the match. Indeed, while the national average per match is 3.53 (standard deviation of 0.39), Saturday’s referee has averaged 3.80 yellow cards per match throughout his Ligue 1 career (Transfermarkt figures). This is slightly higher than the average, but hopefully, this is without neglecting dialogue.
Direct Red Cards –
The referee on Saturday was also rather strict when it came to direct red cards. Kherradhi has averaged 0.24 dismissals per match in his career, while the national average per match is 0.17 (standard deviation of 0.07). Therefore, there’s no question of letting bad behavior go unpunished; players need to be more careful. At the very least, they should be “protected.”
Second Yellow Cards –
Abdelatif Kherradji does not typically 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 is 0.08. Therefore, he is not issuing penalties indiscriminately.
Penalties –
Finally, regarding penalties, the referee on Saturday was again above average, awarding 0.44 per match, compared to the Ligue 1 average of 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).
