Antonio Mateu Lahoz will not officiate any more games at the World Cup after being criticized in the Argentina against Netherlands game.
World Cup referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz will not officiate any more games at the tournament in Qatar after his calls were publicly questioned by Lionel Messi and his fellow Argentina team-mates in their quarter-final victory over the Netherlands.
The Argentines held a 2-0 lead, but Louis van Gaal’s side clawed back into the tie to send it to a penalty shoot-out, where tempers continued to flare.
Lahoz handed out 17 yellow cards and sent off Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries after the final whistle, while two-goal hero Wout Weghorst was also booked before he entered the pitch as a second-half substitute.
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Messi scored Argentina’s second goal in the game, but was clear that he was not happy with the officiating as his side struggled to hold onto their two-goal lead. He told TyC Sports “This match shouldn’t have ended as it did.
“I don’t want to talk about the referee because they sanction you. But people saw what happened. We were afraid before the match because we knew how he was and I think FIFA has to review this. You can’t put a referee like him for these matches.”
Messi got his wish as Lahoz’s final game in Qatar was the bad-tempered quarter-final between Argentina and Holland.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was another Argentine who was displeased with the referee.
“The ref gave everything to them,” the stopper said. “It all turned upside down. He gave 10 minutes extra time for no reason. He just wanted them to score. That referee is crazy. Arrogant. You say something to him and he talks back to you. It’s crazy. Because Spain were eliminated, he wanted to eliminate us. He is the worst referee at the World Cup. Hopefully we won’t have him again – he’s useless.”
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