UEFA has appointed the same referee for Arsenal's quarter-final second leg as last season. This decision has been officially confirmed ahead of the match on Wednesday.
UEFA appoint same Arsenal quarter-final referee as last season
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
UEFA have confirmed the match officials for Arsenalâs Champions League quarter-final second-leg match against Sporting CP on Wednesday night, with Francois Letexier of France to officiate the contest.
Letexier will be assisted by Cyril Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni, with Stephanie Frappart acting as the fourth official to complete the all-French refereeing team in the stadium.
On VAR, German official Bastian Dankert will be assisted by Belgian Bram Van Driessche.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Coincidentally, Letexier also refereed Arsenal at exactly this same stage last season, taking on the Champions League quarter-final second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
For the most part, Gunners fans canât be too unhappy with Letexierâs performance, especially considering he awarded Arsenal a penalty in the 2-1 win.
That was the first time Letexier had ever refereed an Arsenal match, but heâs since refereed the Gunners again in the 2-0 League Phase win over Olympiacos back in October.
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Letexier was involved in controversy recently, as he sent off Jose Mourinho for accusing him of bias. The Benfica boss told the media he believed Letexier was deliberately avoiding showing a yellow card to Real Madrid players at risk of suspension.
The specific referee's name has not been mentioned, but UEFA has confirmed it is the same referee as last season's quarter-final.
Arsenal's quarter-final second leg match is scheduled for Wednesday.
UEFA's decision to appoint the same referee may be based on consistency and familiarity with the teams involved.
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