UEFA’s choice of Francois Letexier for Sunday’s final will come as a big surprise to a fair few in the refereeing world, including in France, where he is not even seen as their top official.
That is Clement Turpin who, unlike Letexier, has the finals of the Europa League and Champions League listed on his C.V.
My hunch is Turpin was overlooked for this one because of the mistakes he made in the Euro 2024 opener between Scotland and Germany.
You cannot give it to an Englishman or a Spaniard for obvious reasons. Daniele Orsato of Italy is retiring after these Euros, so it would have been an emotional match for him to try to focus on refereeing fairly.
Szymon Marciniak of Poland is being linked with a switch to Saudi Arabia next season, which can be frowned upon in some football circles, and he is still not entirely forgiven in Germany after his handling of Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final exit to Real Madrid.
Francois Letexier (pictured) has been chosen to referee Sunday’s Euro 2024 final
England and Spain will face each other for the right to be considered the best team in Europe
Clement Turpin (pictured) is regarded as the best referee in France but he’s been overlooked
Mark Clattenburg believe Sunday’s final will be a huge step up for Letexier
It was after analysing the list of candidates that UEFA chose Letexier, the 35-year-old from France appearing at his first international tournament.
He’s officiated well at these Euros, keeping controversy to a minimum, but the most important match he has refereed up to now was the 2023 Super Cup between Manchester City and Sevilla. This will be a massive step up so the pressure is on.
If a big decision needs making, it will inevitably divide opinion, like the penalty for England against the Netherlands.
I heard Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and others screaming it was wrong, but this isn’t the Premier League we’re watching.
Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher were adamant England should not have been awarded a penalty in the semi-final, but Clattenburg feels the referee was right to give it
Denzel Dumfries led with his studs in trying to stop Harry Kane from shooting and UEFA want these challenges punished wherever they occur on the pitch.
Just because it happened in the box doesn’t mean Dumfries should have been allowed to get away with it, and he didn’t.
Hopefully Letexier will be as strong in the Euro 2024 final if a similar situation occurs.