Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz will not be chosen to referee the remainder of the games at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as he 'heads home', according to local news outlet COPE. Lahoz's final game officiating was an uncouth quarterfinal clash between Argentina and the Netherlands, where 15 yellow cards and one red card was issued.
Lahoz's judgement did not sit well with either team, especially the Argentinians, who aired their opinions on the decisions very ferociously. After the match, talismanic forward and Argentina's captain Lionel Messi spoke bitterly of Lahoz after the game.
"I don't want to speak about referees because after they will sanction you. But people saw what happened," he said. "I think FIFA must take care of this, it cannot put a referee like that for a match of such magnitude, of such importance. The referee cannot fail to be up to the task."
On the face of it, it seems that Messi's wish has been accepted by FIFA as the match official will not be seen in the semifinals or the final. Argentina's keeper Emiliano Martinez joined his skipper in criticising the official's display. "The referee was just giving everything for them. He gave 10 minutes [added time] for no reason. He was giving free kicks outside the box for them, like two, or three times. He just wanted them to score, that's basically it. So, hopefully, we don't have that ref anymore. He's useless."
Despite their criticism of the referee, Argentina's World Cup campaign continues. The tremendous number of yellow cards due to the unethical behaviour particularly noted by the Argentinian players has led to disciplinary action from FIFA against the COPA America champions. The football governing body cited “order and security at matches” in its disciplinary code for charging the Argentina football federation.
