UEFA have appointed an all-French officiating team for Arsenal’s Champions League match away to Real Madrid on Wednesday.
UEFA have confirmed their officiating team for Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Real Madrid, with Francois Letexier to referee.
Cyril Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni will act as Letexier’s assistants, with Jerome Brisard on VAR, assisted by Bastien Dechepy.
Stephanie Frappart will be the fourth official, completing the all-French group of officials on the night.
This is not Letexier’s first Champions League quarter-final, and it’s not even his first involving Real Madrid. The same referee took charge of their 2022/23 quarter-final against Chelsea (a 2-0 win) and their 2023/24 quarter-final against Manchester City (a 3-3 draw).
Letexier’s other two matches involving Real Madrid were a 4-2 win over Napoli in 2023 and their 2-0 defeat to Liverpool earlier this season.
The official has never refereed an Arsenal match before, but some Arsenal players will be familiar with him. Mikel Merino, Declan Rice, and Bukayo Saka all played in the Euro 2024 final last summer, which was another one of Letexier’s games.
Despite some poor decisions in the first half of the first leg last Tuesday, the officiating didn’t end up being the main story of the night.
Arsenal fans will hope Wednesday’s game is another one where their team’s strong performance is the primary talking point.