This Sunday, as part of Matchday 1 of the 2026-2027 Ligue 1 season, Paris Saint-Germain will face Rennes at the Roazhon Park (kick-off at 8:45 PM, CET). The match official has been selected: Bastien Dechepy (40). He brings extensive Ligue 1 experience to the table, having officiated 97 matches in the league.
The referee will be assisted by Aurélien Berthomieu and Valentin Evrard. Geoffrey Kubler will serve as the fourth official, while Nicolas Rainville and Wilfried Bien will handle VAR duties.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Dechepy officiating, one might expect yellow cards to be handed out relatively freely during the match. While the national average per game is 3.53 (standard deviation of 0.39), Sunday’s referee has averaged 3.78 yellow cards per match over his Ligue 1 career (according to Transfermarkt figures). Hopefully, this serves to protect the players while still allowing for communication.
Straight red cards –
The referee for Sunday’s match is less severe when it comes to straight red cards. Dechepy averages 0.16 sendings-off per match in his career, compared to a national average of 0.17 (standard deviation of 0.07). He is not one to hand out sanctions indiscriminately.
Second yellow cards –
Bastien Dechepy does not typically send off a player following a first yellow card in Ligue 1 matches. His average stands at 0.09, matching the national average (standard deviation of 0.03). While he issues plenty of initial yellow cards, a subsequent sending-off is less common—consistent with his lower rate of straight red cards.
Penalties –
Finally, regarding penalties, the man with the whistle on Sunday is above average, awarding 0.40 penalties per match, whereas the Ligue 1 average is 0.34 (with a standard deviation of 0.08).
