Thirty-five years old, referee with over 150 appearances in Ligue 1, Francois Letexier – chosen by UEFA for Croatia-Albania – took charge of a total of 6 matches in the 2023/24 Champions League. Starting from the preliminary phase of the competition, where he covered the match between Antwerp and AEK Athens, he subsequently refereed three group stage matches, including Napoli’s defeat at the Santiago Bernabéu against 14-time European champions Real Madrid. In the round of 16 he directed the first leg match between Lazio and Bayern Munich at the Olympic stadium in Rome, won by the white and blue team. To conclude, he was awarded the first leg of the quarter-finals between Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid and reigning champions Manchester City, ended 3-3. The French whistleblower was also the referee of Roma-Brighton in the Europa League and of this year’s European Super Cup played in August by Manchester City and Sevilla and won on penalties by the English as well as the second leg of the Europa League between Atalanta and Liverpool but how did he fare yesterday in Hamburg?
Letexier’s history with Croatia and Albania
For the French whistle it was the first time ever with the Croatian and Albanian national teams.
The referee cautioned three players
Assisted by assistants Mugnier and Rahmouni with the Swiss Scharer IV man and Delajod al Varthe referee cautioned three players: Hysaj, Daku, Gyasula
Croatia-Albania, the cases from slow motion
These are the dubious episodes. In the 11th minute there was suspicion off-side on the Albanian goal, on Asslani Brozovic’s cross Laci was lost and he almost headed it and put it into the net: the touch was there but the player was in a regular position. Throughout the match he impresses the Olympic calm of Letexier who always keeps the match under control, stops the game when he sees a player down, reassures everyone about making up for lost time, and never makes a mistake in positioning. And even when in the final quarter of an hour everything happens Letexier never loses his head. In the 74th minute Croatia scores: doubts about the position of the goal scorer Kramaric but the Croatian is kept in the game by an opponent. Croatian protests instead at the 2-1 with Djmisti claiming a foul on the action which then led to the own goal. On this occasion, Hysaj was booked for protesting. In the 87th minute Ivica Ivušić was booked from the bench. Too many protests for him. In the 93rd minute there was also a yellow card for Daku, who kicked Gvardiol’s head in the area. Dangerous game. In the 97th minute Gjasula was booked for a foul on Modric. Croatia-Albania ends 2-2.
