This Saturday, as part of the 32nd day of Ligue 1 2024-2025, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) take on Strasbourg (7th) at the Stade de la Meinau (kick-off 5pm, CET). Hakim Ben El Hadj (46) has been chosen to referee the match. He has a wealth of experience in Ligue 1, with 140 matches to his name.
The man with the whistle will be assisted by Gwenaël Pasqualotti and Aurélien Berthomieu. Florent Batta will be the 4th referee. Video assistance will be provided by Alexandre Castro and Philippe Lucas.
Yellow cards –
With Mr. Ben El Hadj on the whistle, we can expect yellow cards to be handed out rather quickly during the match. Indeed, while the national average per match is 3.53 (standard deviation 0.39), Saturday’s referee has given an average of 3.80 yellows per match in his entire Ligue 1 career (Transfermarkt figures). That’s a high number, but it has to protect the players and not forget the dialogue.
Direct red cards –
The man on the whistle on Saturday was far less severe when it came to direct red cards. Ben El Hadj’s career total is 0.11 exclusions per match, compared with a national average of 0.17 (standard deviation 0.07). So we’re hoping for a bit of management, not just sanctions.
Second yellow cards –
Hakim Ben El Hadj is not in the habit of sending off a player after his first yellow card in a match, as he issued a second caution to the same player an average of 0.09 times per match. This is on a par with the national average of 0.09 (standard deviation 0.03). With so many yellows and so few reds, it’s understandable that the referee tries to give as many warnings as possible before sending off.
Penalties –
Finally, when it comes to penalties, the man at the whistle on Saturday is lower than average, with 0.24 penalties whistled per match, compared with the Ligue 1 average of 0.34 (standard deviation 0.08).
