Who is referee Antonio Lahoz? Why was he sent home from FIFA World Cup 2022, all details you need to know

Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz has been sent home from FIFA World Cup 2022 after he officiated Argentina vs Netherlands Quarter-final match at the Lusail stadium. Now he won’t be able to officiate any of the remaining four matches of the FIFA World Cup 2022. The referee showed 18 cards for both teams during Argentina vs Netherlands match, triggering a massive backlash from players and fans from both teams. Even Argentina’s Lionel Messi showed his disapproval with Mateu Lahoz during an interview, who said that the referee was not up to the task during the match.

Why was the Spanish referee sent home after the controversial match?

Argentina vs Netherlands match was intense as tempers continued to flare. Although the Argentines had a 2-0 lead, Louis van Gaal's team fought back to force a penalty shootout. After the final whistle, Lahoz issued 18 yellow cards and dismissed Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries. Two-goal hero Wout Weghorst had already been issued a booking when he came on as a replacement in the second half. Argentina's second goal in the match was scored by Messi, who was evidently dissatisfied with the refereeing as his team fought to maintain a two-goal advantage. "This match shouldn't have ended as it did," he was quoted as saying by media.

What did Lionel Messi say about the Spanish referee?

Messi’s statements given to the media after the match indicated that he was livid at the referee, who dished out a record of 18 yellow cards in a single match of a FIFA World Cup. Messi said, “After they got the draw I felt a lot of anger." Messi further said, "I don't want to talk about the referee, because they immediately reprimand you or sanction you, but I think people saw what happened. FIFA has to review that, it can't give a referee like that a match of this importance, when they're not up to the task.” He added: "We didn't have a great game, and then the referee sent it to extra time. He was always against us. In the last play, it was not a foul."

Other players who lashed out at the referee

Goalkeeper for Argentina Emiliano Martinez also criticised Lahoz, calling him ineffective. “He gave 10 minutes (stoppage time) for no reason. He was giving free-kicks outside the box for them, like two, three times. He just wanted them to score, that’s basically it. So, hopefully we don’t have that ref anymore. He’s useless,” said Martinez.

Previous games that Mateu Lahoz officiated?

Lahoz officiated three games—two group stage games and one quarterfinal—during the 2022 World Cup, issuing 23 yellow cards in total. He was in charge of the clashes between the United States and Iran; Qatar and Senegal. He issued eight yellow cards in total during the course of the first two games, before he broke all records of World Cup history by issuing 16 yellow cards in the quarter-final match.