Rather criticized in France, Clément Turpin enjoys a good reputation internationally. The Frenchman was named best referee of the year 2025 by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) on Thursday.
With 65 points gleaned, the man who refereed the Champions League semi-final between Inter Milan and FC Barcelona (4-3) or more recently Real Madrid-Manchester City (1-2) is ahead of his compatriot François Letexier (55 points), winner in 2024 and the Pole Szymon Marciniak, who refereed the World Cup final between France and Argentina in 2022 and double winner of the trophy (2022 and 2023).
“Clément Turpin delivered world-class performances in continental competitions, showing mastery, calm and excellent positioning. This made the difference,” the IFFHS wrote in a statement.
As for female referees, Stéphanie Frappart, five-time winner between 2019 and 2023, finished second behind the Italian Maria Sole Ferreri Caputi, the first woman to referee in Serie A. Enough to show that French refereeing is not as terrible as it seems?
