Qatar 2022: Why Was Antonio Mateu Lahoz Sent Home?

Spanish football referee, Antonio Mateu Lahoz was sent home from the 2022 Qatar World Cup after being accused of ‘fanboying’ Argentine captain, Lionel Messi and also handing out a total of 18 yellow cards in a single match. According to sources, he was slammed by Messi, Sergio Aguero, Emiliano Martinez, and others and also compared to  Mike Dean.

Messi and other players also shared that he was unfit for the position of referee. However, according to Marca, FIFA marked his performance as favorable despite showing several cards in the game. He was pitched for refereeing the final World Cup match but due to the backlash from the media and football fans, FIFA had no option but to send him home.

As an international referee, Antonio Mateu Lahoz has had an experience at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, 2018 FIFA World Cup, and 2022 FIFA World Cup. He also performed local duties by refereeing in the Spanish La Liga since 2008.