UEFA has appointed French referee François Letexier to officiate the match between Roma and Real Madrid, scheduled for Wednesday evening at the Stadio Olimpico as part of the second matchday of the UEFA Champions League league phase.
The 37-year-old official will be assisted by compatriots Cyril Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni, with Bastien Dechepy serving as the fourth official, while Dutchman Dennis Higler takes charge of the video assistant referee (VAR) technology, assisted by compatriot Pol van Boekel.
The fixture marks Letexier’s seventh time officiating Real Madrid in the Champions League. Under his previous stewardship, the Merengue have secured three victories (against Chelsea, Napoli, and Benfica), drawn with Manchester City, and suffered two defeats (against Liverpool and Arsenal). He has also overseen four Europa League matches for Roma, resulting in two wins and two losses.
His relationship with José Mourinho is far from calm. Letexier previously refereed Benfica’s first-leg playoff clash against Real Madrid last February, sending off the Portuguese manager in the 84th minute after receiving two yellow cards for dissent—depriving Mourinho of a place on the bench for the return leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Mourinho’s protests at the time stemmed from his demands that Vinícius Júnior receive a second yellow card following a foul on Richard Ríos. The match was also halted for nearly ten minutes after the Brazilian winger informed the referee of alleged racist abuse from Gianluca Prestianni, prompting Letexier to activate the anti-racism protocol.
The Frenchman has refereed three domestic league matches this season, brandishing nine yellow cards and one red without awarding any penalties. He also handled NEC Nijmegen’s Champions League qualifier against Bodø/Glimt, alongside UEFA Nations League fixtures between Norway and Portugal, and North Macedonia and Scotland.
However, Egyptian fans associate his name with one of the most controversial matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, having refereed the Pharaohs’ 3-2 Round of 16 defeat to Argentina. He disallowed a goal by Mostafa Ziko that would have given Egypt a 2-0 lead, following a VAR review for a prior foul by Marwan Attia.
Egyptian players also appealed for a penalty for Mohamed Salah prior to the counter-attack from which Enzo Fernández scored Argentina’s winner, prompting the Egyptian Football Association to submit an official complaint to FIFA demanding an investigation into the officiating crew’s performance.
Prior to that, Letexier managed group-stage matches between Ivory Coast and Ecuador, and Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia at the tournament. No official announcement was made regarding any suspension, despite unverified claims circulating about sanctions, before UEFA restored him to the spotlight for his first encounter with Mourinho since his famous red-card incident.
