Francois Letexier is one of the most respected French referees. After all, he is the regular participant in UEFA’s competition, Champions League included. Most recently, he was appointed as the referee of the second leg of the quarterfinals, between Real Madrid and Arsenal, a match in which Real’s comeback was expected and the referee was under the spotlight. In the heated atmosphere, Letexier was excellent. He used VAR advice twice, once by giving Arsenal the penalty and second time by denying the penalty he gave to Real. His next task looked easier, but it was not – the infamous St. Etienne – Lyon derby. And there he made a mistake which was probably a match-deciding one, and admitted it.Lyon shaken after Manchester – St. Ettiene win the derbyTwo neighbor cities can’t stand each other and their matches are always on the verge of an incident and the Sunday match was no exception. The stakes were high as Lyon is fighting for a place in the Champions League while St. Etienne is running away from an imminent relegation to Ligue 2. While the score was 1-0 for the hosts, the scorer Lucas Stassin made a reckless challenge on Corentin Tolisso who was stretchered off while the youngster got a red card by Letexier. But, VAR suggested he was a bit harsh and after reviewing the situation, the Frenchman changed his mind and gave Stassin just a yellow. Not only did St. Etienne remained with 11 men on the pitch, but Stassin eventually scored a brace in a 2-1 victory.Heureusement que Letexier est quand même le “meilleur arbitre du monde 2024″, car sinon c’était carrement rouge pour Tolisso ! 🙃 #ASSEOL pic.twitter.com/7yQRKye5Mv— Jérémy Girardot (@MrTekylah) April 20, 2025 So, what’ the problem then? Well, it seems that Letexier was not looking good enough at the tape, since he admitted after the game that he should have expelled St. Etienne player. The referee didn’t say anything publicly, but Tolisso revealed it afterwards.”Mr. Letexier’s apologies will not ease the pain or the incomprehension. It’s been a very difficult week for us, but we will fight until the end” wrote Tolisso on his Instagram account.John Textor 🇺🇸 revient sur l’action de Lucas Stassin sur Corentin Tolisso :« L’arbitre a avoué son erreur auprès des joueurs. Il a compris ce que tout le pays avait déjà compris. […]Je voudrais le remercier pour son honnêteté. »🎥 @RMCsport pic.twitter.com/EAJrA08tgQ— Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) April 21, 2025 Lyon owner John Textor also acknowledged that Letexier apologized.“It was a surprising moment of honor on the part of the referee. He acknowledged to our players that he had indeed made a mistake. It should have been a red card. After some reflection, he realized what the whole country had already realized” the OL president said to the press after the game.##NAJAVA_MECA_8867651##
