The match between Argentina and the Netherlands in the quarterfinals will bring us another reunion on the field. We’re talking about the reunion between Leo Messi and Spanish referee Mateu Lahoz. They’ve enjoyed an amicable relationship, with the exception of a single episode on November 29th, 2020 during a Barça-Osasuna match in Camp Nou.
The match took place only four days after Diego Armando Maradona’s tragic passing. Barça won in dominant fashion (4-0), in a match where Messi scored the last goal at minute 73. Messi, in an attempt to pay homage to his idol, took off his jersey to show Newell’s jersey underneath, one of the teams that Maradona played for in his career. However, the referee didn’t appreciate this gesture, and he made sure to state this in his official report.
“At minute 73, player number 10, Messi Cuccittini, Lionel Andres was sanctioned due to the following reason: Removing his jersey after scoring a goal, showing a Newell’s Old Boys shirt from the 93/94 season, with number 10 on his back."
Lahoz sanctioned Messi in accordance with the RFEF Disciplinary Code. On December 2nd, the Competition Committee punished Messi with a yellow card and a fine of 601 euros. Barça was also fined 350 euros, and the Appeal Committee dismissed the case presented by Barcelona regarding the fine and Messi’s yellow card.
They will meet once more tonight in the World Cup quarterfinals where Leo Messi aims to move forward in the tournament and win the only trophy that is missing from his case, The World Cup.
A historical match for the Valencian referee
This Netherlands-Argentina match will be historical for Mateu Lahoz in his long career for several reasons. First, this will be the referee’s first match in the quarterfinals of the tournament given that he only refereed group-stage matches in 2018. It will also be his fifth World Cup match, the second-most for a Spanish referee in history, with two matches in the last World Cup, and three in 2022. Mateu is only behind Juan Gardeazábal, who attended three World Cups: 1958, 1962, and 1966.
So far, Lahoz has been in charge of two matches in this World Cup: United States-Iran, and Qatar-Senegal, he will have a total of 8 World Cup matches after tonight. He made his World Cup debut in June 2018 in a Denmark-Australia match that ended in a tie. Five days later, he refereed his second match (Iceland 1 - Croatia 2). Lahoz stayed for the remainder of the tournament as a fourth referee.
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