Antonio Mateu Lahoz, the controversial referee of the Argentina-Netherlands match, is returning home from Qatar. The Spanish referee showed a total of 18 cards in that quarter-final match.
At the end of the match, Lionel Messi expressed his dissatisfaction with him, “I think this FIFA referee should not be responsible for this type of match. Because he doesn’t deserve it.’
FIFA has heard about this greatest footballer of all time. Referee Lahos will not be able to officiate the remaining matches of the World Cup in Qatar. Because, FIFA does not want any controversy in the semi-final-final match. So the ‘stubborn’ referee was sent home from the World Cup by FIFA, the highest governing body of football.
Messi did not escape from this refereeLahos showed yellow cards to 16 coach-footballers in that quarter-final match. The players of both the teams are annoyed to see so many cards in the match. Among them, 10 yellow cards were shown to the Argentina team.
The Spanish referee has also set a record for showing the most yellow cards in a single match by showing 18 yellow cards in one match. He whistled a total of 48 fouls. Messi was also shown a card by referee Lahos. Even Albelisted coach Lionel Scaloni and his assistant had to digest the yellow card. Argentina is not getting important players like Acuna and Montiel in the semi due to yellow cards.
10 yellow cards have been shown to Argentina out of a total of 18 cardsNot only Messi, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez expressed his displeasure with the Spanish referee. At the end of the match, he said, ‘Lahos is the worst referee in this World Cup. He is very stubborn. If you say anything to him, he replies badly.’
The ‘Argentine hawk’ Martinez also found a reason for such referring. He said, ‘I think he wanted us to leave because Spain left.’
Lahos, 45, started professional refereeing in 2008.
After four years officiating matches in the second division of Spanish football, he started refereeing in La Liga from 2012 and UEFA Champions League from 2013. He managed the match for the first time in the World Cup in 2018. Before the Argentina-Netherlands match in this year’s World Cup, the flute was also in his hand in the United States-Iran and Qatar-Senegal matches.
In total, he has experience of refereeing 498 matches in his professional career. 2 thousand 326 yellow cards were shown in these matches, 55 red cards; And gave 119 penalties. He also announced his retirement after Euro 2020. However, he returned to the field at the end of last year.