On Thursday, January 8, as part of the 2025 Trophée des Champions, Paris Saint-Germain will face Olympique de Marseille in Kuwait (kick-off at 7:00 PM French time, CET). The referee for the match has been chosen: Thomas Léonard (44 years old). He has significant experience in Ligue 1, having officiated 146 matches.
He will be assisted by Huseyin and Ludovic Reyes. The fourth official will be Guillaume Paradis. Video assistance will be provided by Bastien Dechepy and Julien Schmitt.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Léonard as referee, we can expect yellow cards to be handed out relatively easily during the match. Indeed, while the national average per match is 3.53 yellow cards (standard deviation of 0.39), the referee of the Trophée des Champions has issued an average of 3.71 yellow cards per match throughout his Ligue 1 career (Transfermarkt figures). This is slightly higher than the average; let’s hope the players are well protected and that open communication is maintained to prevent tensions.
Direct Red Cards –
The referee is less strict when it comes to direct red cards. In fact, Leonard has an average of 0.16 red cards per match in his career, while the national average is 0.17 (standard deviation of 0.07). Therefore, there is no question of letting bad behavior go unpunished, nor of issuing sanctions indiscriminately.
Second Yellow Cards –
Thomas Leonard doesn’t 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. With many yellows and few reds, this isn’t illogical. And we can hope for a certain “balance” in his management.
Penalties –
Finally, regarding penalties, the referee on Saturday was below average with 0.31 penalties awarded per match, while the Ligue 1 average is 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).
