PSG v Flamengo: Referee named for Intercontinental Cup final! | OneFootball

On Wednesday, December 17, in the 2025 Intercontinental Cup final, Paris Saint-Germain will face Flamengo at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Doha (Qatar) (kick-off at 6 PM, broadcast on M6 and beIN SPORTS). The referee for the match has been chosen, and it will be Ismail Elfath (43 years old). He has significant experience, including 216 MLS matches (as well as in Copa America and the World Cup).

Yellow Cards –

With Mr. Elfath officiating, we can expect yellow cards to be given relatively "normally" during the match. Indeed, while the French average per match is 3.53 (standard deviation of 0.39), the referee of the final has given 3.60 yellow cards per match on average throughout his MLS career (figures from Transfermarkt). Let's hope this is due to dialogue and good management, not a lack of player protection.

Direct Red Cards –

The man with the whistle for the final is less strict when it comes to direct red cards. Indeed, Elfath averages 0.13 dismissals per match in his career, while the French average per match is 0.17 (standard deviation of 0.07). This aligns with the idea of certain management rather than sanctioning at every opportunity.

Second Yellow Cards –

However, Ismail Elfath is more inclined to send off a player after their first yellow card in a match, as he has given a second warning to the same player 0.14 times per match on average. This is higher than the French average, which stands at 0.09 (standard deviation of 0.03). Despite not issuing a very high number of initial yellows, it is clear that players must be cautious once warned.

Penalties –

Regarding penalties, the man who will officiate the final is well below the average with 0.33 penalties awarded per match, while in Ligue 1 the average is 0.34 (standard deviation of 0.08).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.