Some will say that highlighting a French referee is chauvinistic. However, it's hard to ignore the performance achieved by Florian Couturier when Riyadh P1 on the circuit Premier Padel.

The French international referee officiated for the 18th final of his career on Premier Padelconfirming his place among the world's leading referees. In Riyadh, he not only officiated the women's final, but also a series of other major matches in the tournament.

An intense week at the highest level

The results are significant:

  • 10 matches refereed from the chair
  • 6 matches managed by VAR
  • The quarter-final of Chingotto/Galan against Bergamini/Garrido
  • The semi-final of Chingotto/Galan against Paquito/Guerrero
  • The women's final: Ustero/Sanchez against Triay/Brea

A volume of exhibition material that illustrates the confidence placed by the organization in the French referee during key moments of the tournament.

To top it all off, Florian Couturier was presented with the referee's trophy for the final, a powerful symbol in a competition where every detail counts.

Decisions made under pressure

Refereeing at the highest level also involves managing tensions. The Saudi tournament was no exception.

Florian Couturier notably inflicted a Paquito Navarro warned in the second roundA decision that the Spanish player did not fail to comment on, telling him that he found him "strict".

He also sanctioned Lucas Bergamini for exceeding the time limit, a decision that caused frustration on the part of the Brazilian player.

VAR was also used at strategic moments:

  • Request for var from Paquito on a service height of Galan
  • Triay's request for a var on a ball close to the grid

In both cases, the arbitration decisions were upheld.

The first professional tournament of the season has begun, and a Frenchman has already left his mark.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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