ERLING Haaland and Phil Foden can tell the England squad that Euro 2024 Final referee Francois Letexier packs a punch.
But what else is there to know about the man who holds the fate of the Three Lions in his whistle in Berlin on Sunday?
Sun Sport reveals the man behind the cards.
So, who is he, then?
Letexier is just 35, from Brittany, and with a young son.
He was the youngest referee in Ligue 1 when he was appointed in 2016 and promoted to the Fifa list only a year later.
That’s quick going – anything else about him?
Well, actually, yes. While refereeing is his main job, he’s used to sending people down as well as sending them off – his part-time role is as a court bailiff, saying: “It helps me keep a good life balance.”
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Okay – but what’s this Haaland stuff?
Letexier inflamed Manchester City’s Norwegian ace during the 3-3 Champions League quarter-final first leg draw at Real Madrid.
England vs Spain record
England have played Spain 27 times in total – here is a look at every result…
- May 1929, Spain 4-3 England – International Friendly (L)
- December 1931, England 7-1 Spain – International Friendly (W)
- July 1950, Spain 1-0 England – World Cup (L)
- May 1955, Spain 1-1 England – International Friendly (D)
- November 1955, England 4-1 Spain – International Friendly (W)
- May 1960, Spain 3-0 England – International Friendly (L)
- October 1960, England 4-2 Spain – International Friendly (W)
- December 1965, Spain 0-2 England – International Friendly (W)
- May 1967, England 2-0 Spain – International Friendly (W)
- April 1968, England 1-0 Spain – European Championship (W)
- May 1968, Spain 1-2 England – European Championship (W)
- March 1980, Spain 0-2 England – International Friendly (W)
- June 1980, England 2-1 Spain – European Championship (W)
- March 1981, England 1-2 Spain – International Friendly (L)
- July 1982, Spain 0-0 England – World Cup (D)
- February 1987, Spain 2-4 England – International Friendly (W)
- September 1992, Spain 1-0 England – International Friendly (L)
- June 1996, England 0(4)-(2)0 Spain – European Championship (W)
- February 2001, England 3-0 Spain – International Friendly (W)
- November 2004, Spain 1-0 England – International Friendly (L)
- February 2007, England 0-1 Spain – International Friendly (L)
- February 2009, Spain 2-0 England – International Friendly (L)
- November 2011, England 1-0 Spain – International Friendly (W)
- November 2015, Spain 2-0 England – International Friendly (L)
- November 2016, England 2-2 Spain – International Friendly (D)
- September 2018, England 1-2 Spain – Nations League (L)
- October 2018, Spain 2-3 England – Nations League (W)
Overall, England have won 14, drawn three and lost 10 matches against Spain.
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The referee was locked in a “disagreement” with Madrid’s Dani Carvajal in the first half of that match when he gestured towards the City goal.
Unfortunately, Haaland was walking past, catching a backhand slap in the face. Fair to say he wasn’t a happy bunny.
Yes but that was an accident. Has there been anything else to talk about?
Quite a few things, actually. Both in France and internationally.
Most read in Euro 2024
In October 2022 he made a series of controversial calls in a Ligue 1 match between Nice and Nantes, with the home side the beneficiary of spot kick decisions in both boxes.
After dismissing Nantes’ Kader Bamba and keeper Alban Lafont he received death threats on social media.
Two months earlier he issued FOUR red cards to St Etienne – three players and a coaching staff member – in a Ligue 2 match with Le Havre.
But no issues with English teams then?
Nope. But a big one with an English manager.
In December he became embroiled in a strange spat with then-Reims boss Will Still, who accused him of making “inappropriate” comments.
Still had been targeted by Sunderland as a potential replacement for Tony Mowbray and wanted to quiz Letexier over some of the decisions in a 2-0 defeat by Lens.
The Englishman claimed Letexier responded: “Don’t worry, it (the refereeing) will be better in England.”
Still added: “I found it funny, or not funny at all. I didn’t find it very appropriate, but it’s not a story, it’s not interesting.”
Letexier subsequently claimed he had been misinterpreted. After leaving Reims, Still eventually signed for…Lens.
Anything else?
Oh yes. May’s intercontinental Olympic play-off between Indonesia and Guinea in Clairefontaine saw Letexier award two penalties to the African side, including the match-winner when the foul was outside the box, while also sending off the Indonesia coach.
Are there any reasons to think he could be a good luck charm?
Maybe. Letexier also took charge of last season’s Uefa Super Cup Final between City and Sevilla, when the Prem champions won on penalties after Cole Palmer’s second-half equaliser.
Kyle Walker scored City’s final penalty while the team included Phil Foden, with John Stones on the bench. Then again, it also included Rodri….
Kobbie Mainoo: From work experience kid to England hero… and latest generational talent
By Charlie Wyett
AND we all thought England had just the one generational talent.
Kobbie Mainoo was effectively brought to Germany as a work experience kid but has emerged as the key kid behind this country’s attempt to rewrite history.
After just five senior starts, England’s new boy wonder will now have a teenage tear-up against Spain’s Lamine Yamal in the Euro 2024 final.
Last night, he did not merely become England’s youngest ever player to feature in a semi-final of a major tournament, aged 19 years and 82 days.
Here, he took this semi-final by the scruff of the neck, delivered a performance which was a joy to watch, particularly in the first half, and now England are in their first final on foreign soil.
If Jude Bellingham thought he was certain to be England’s main posterboy over the next decade, he has someone else who has now emerged in his rear-view mirror within just a few weeks.
To bag an FA Cup winners’ medal at the age of 19 was impressive. To then win Euro 2024 a couple of months later would be extraordinary.
As we saw with Manchester United, Mainoo has now fitted seamlessly into the team and provided a perfect mix of both style and substance.
Give it a couple of years, and you can only imagine how good this lad is going to be.
For much of this tournament, the focus has been on the disappointing form of Harry Kane, Bellingham and Phil Foden.
So Mainoo, to a degree, had almost been off the radar. But against the Dutch, in tight, congested spaces, he is a class apart.
When he was put under pressure, remained cool, navigated his way out of difficult situations and drove forward.
Despite what was at stake, Mainoo once again looked extraordinarily composed and was England’s best player in the first half. He won possession, he rode tackles and he drove forward like an old master.
He nearly delivered an assist at 1-1 with some brilliant play. He received the ball from Foden, turned and drove forward before returning the ball to his team-mate but the shot was hacked off the line by Denzel Dumfries.
Mainoo delivered a terrific block to snuff out some serious danger in a lightning-quick Dutch counter attack.
In the second half, he had less space in midfield but nevertheless still had bags of energy and kept his discipline positionally – and then he let subs Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins deliver the business.
It is still mind-boggling that Mainoo is now heading to Berlin on Sunday, when you consider Mainoo only made his United debut against Charlton in the Carabao Cup in January 2023. His first Premier League start was just eight months ago.
Yet it was his dazzling midfield form in an otherwise dysfunctional United team which earned him his first cap as a substitute against Brazil in March. He was then Man of the Match in a ridiculously-good performance in the 2-2 draw with Belgium.
Mainoo’s form dipped in the last few weeks of the season. It was probably because he was knackered carrying some of his team-mates.
But he then saved them again in the FA Cup final against Manchester City with a Man of the Match performance in a 2-1 win.
A bit like Adam Wharton, he was part of England’s 26-man squad to soak up the experience, to learn what it is like to feature in a major tournament and maybe, if needed, to have a few cameo roles off the bench.
And the fact he was effectively Southgate’s third-choice to partner Declan Rice here in Germany tells you exactly where he stood in a squad of 26.
The Trent Alexander-Arnold midfield failed in the two opening games against Serbia and Denmark. Conor Gallagher – despite some bright performances as a sub in those games – really struggled in his start against Slovenia.
Apart from a strong appearance as a substitute by Palmer, Mainoo’s performance against Slovakia was the only bright spot in a dismal and extremely fortunate win over Slovakia in the last 16.
There was always a worry about Mainoo’s movement when England do not have possession but that will come with experience, like it would for any other central midfielder.
Yet Mainoo has solved the problem for Southgate and now England can continue to dream big. And it is totally unthinkable from where you consider how they played in the group stages when they stunk out Germany.
In Sunday’s final, England’s experienced players will be able to draw on the pain of both the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020.
For Mainoo, this will be a completely new experience but do not expect him to wilt. He’ll absolutely love it.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
