Lionel Messi Gets His Wish as Referee Mateu Lahoz, Who Handed Out 18 Yellow Cards During Match, is Not retained at World Cup
The referee who officiated Argentina’s bad-tempered World Cup victory over the Netherlands, will not be involved in any other matches at Qatar 2022.
As reported by TalkSport, Mateu Lahoz handed out a whopping 18 yellow cards during the quarter-final clash which Argentina won on penalties after both sides played out an enthralling 2-2 draw in the 90 minutes.
But the match will forever be remembered for the chaotic scenes during and after the match with tempers spilling over on multiple occasions.
Lahoz was criticised hugely for his performance, including from Lionel Messi, who suggested the Spaniard wasn’t fit to officiate a match of that magnitude.
Messi said: “I don’t want to speak about referees because after they will sanction you. But people saw what happened.
“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.”
It appears Messi has got his wish with the Daily Mail reporting that Lahoz has not been included in FIFA’s final 12 referees for the remainder of the tournament.
