Football referee Mateu Lahoz heads home from Qatar and will not be officiating any of the remaining matches in FIFA World Cup 2022, according to Daily Mail.
The referee’s last game in the ongoing WorldCup was the aggressive quarter-final between Netherlands and Argentina, where he dished out as many as 15 yellow cards.
His performance as a referee was criticized by both teams, especially Argentina, whose players were particularly vocal about his refereeing.
Popularly known as the GOAT, Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi, spoke about Lahoz in the post-match interview. He said, “I don’t want to speak about referees because after they will sanction you. But people saw what happened,”
The 35-year-old football star continued, “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.”
Despite allegedly flawed officiating by Mateu Lahoz in the quarterfinal, Argentina’s Worldcup campaign continues. Messi’s men will face Modrić-led Croatian men Wednesday at 12:00 am to book a place in the finale.
All FIFA Qatar 2022 matches can be watched on A-Sports HD and can be streamed online through ARY Zap.