Roma’s Champions League meeting with Real Madrid on Wednesday 14 October will bring José Mourinho back to the Olimpico under a referee with whom he already has unfinished business. UEFA has appointed François Letexier for the 21:00 kick-off, placing the French official at the centre of a fixture already carrying considerable weight for both clubs.
The appointment has revived memories of a fraught Benfica-Real Madrid encounter last February, when Mourinho was still in charge of the Portuguese side. That night at the Estadio da Luz ended with the coach sent off and openly critical of Letexier after the final whistle.
Quick facts
- Roma host Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday 14 October at 21:00.
- François Letexier will referee the match.
- Cyrill Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni are the assistant referees, with Bastien Dechepy as fourth official.
- Dennis Higler will oversee VAR, assisted by Pol van Boekel.
- Letexier dismissed Mourinho during Benfica’s 17 February meeting with Real Madrid.
Letexier’s previous collision with Mourinho came in the first leg of the round-of-32 tie between Benfica and Madrid. The match became overshadowed by an alleged racist remark directed by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni towards Vinicius, an incident that later resulted in a six-match ban for the Argentine player.
Tension rose after the episode, which occurred around the 75th minute. Ten minutes later, Letexier showed Mourinho two yellow cards in quick succession for dissent, forcing the Portuguese coach from the touchline as members of his staff led him away.
Mourinho continued his protest after the match, accusing the referee of keeping a small note containing the names of players who, in his view, were not supposed to be booked. He was subsequently suspended for the return game in Madrid.
Before that second leg, Mourinho made a pointed joke about the prospect of another appointment, saying that the key was simply not to be given Anthony Taylor again.
The Letexier decision also arrives while Mourinho’s relationship with refereeing has again become a subject around Real Madrid. In the club’s latest league outing, Vinicius had a goal ruled out and was then sent off for pulling Saliba’s hair at the start of the move.
Mourinho chose restraint on that occasion, mindful of the approaching fixtures against Sevilla and Barcelona. “I will not speak about it,” he said, “because I want to be on the bench for Sevilla and Barcelona.”
Roma against Madrid is therefore not merely another European night in the capital. The return to the Olimpico comes with a familiar official, a recent disciplinary history and a coach who has made clear that he cannot afford another confrontation from the technical area.
