'Big surprise' - Former Premier League ref Mark Clattenburg raises concerns with Euro 2024 final referee as unlikely official prepares to oversee Spain vs England

Clattenburg has expressed his concern over the appointment of Letexier, who has officiated three games at the tournament thus far. He was in charge of Croatia's draw with Albania, Denmark's draw with Serbia, and Spain's 4-1 win over Georgia. However, he is not regarded as the best referee in France; instead, that is Clement Turpin.

Turpin did officiate at the tournament but Clattenburg believes he has been overlooked for the final because of his errors in Scotland's clash with Germany in the group stages. He was also in charge of England's draw with Slovenia and Netherlands' win over Turkey; in three games, he showed two red cards. Daniele Orsato, the Italian official, is also regarded as a top operator but Clattenburg believes his pending retirement means he would be unable to focus properly.

Clattenburg wrote in the Daily Mail: "UEFA's choice of Francois Letexier for Sunday’s final will come asa big surprise to a fair few in the refereeing world, including in France, where he is not even seen as their top official. 

"That is Clement Turpin who, unlike Letexier, has the finals of theEuropa LeagueandChampions Leaguelisted on his C.V. 

"My hunch is Turpin was overlooked for this one because of the mistakes he made in theEuro2024 opener between Scotland and Germany.

"You cannot give it to an Englishman or a Spaniard for obvious reasons. Daniele Orsato of Italy is retiring after these Euros, so it would have been an emotional match for him to try to focus on refereeing fairly.

"It was after analysing the list of candidates that UEFA chose Letexier, the 35-year-old from France appearing at his first international tournament. 

"He’s officiated well at these Euros, keeping controversy to a minimum, but the most important match he has refereed up to now was the 2023 Super Cup between Manchester City and Sevilla. This will be a massive step up so the pressure is on."

England will aim to win their first trophy in 58 years against Spain on Sunday.