Antonio Mateu Lahoz
Antonio Mateu Lahoz is a Spanish retired professional football referee who officiated matches in the Spanish LaLiga from 2008 until the end of his career in 2023. Mateu Lahoz is widely known for his unique talkative and quirky approach to refereeing opposed to the more traditional silent and stern approach used by many officials, which some praised while others found it to be too lenient and distracting. The Guardian has described him as the football star "who doesn't actually play but doesn't half perform".
Mateu Lahoz established himself as one of the most prominent referees in Spain during his career despite being considered extremely unpopular among many Spanish football fans due to his personal flair. He became notorious for allowing matches to descend into chaos by being nonreactive to play, then drawing more attention to himself than the game through bizarre discussions with players and controversial decisions. A number of his more questionable calls were made during intense matches between fierce Spanish rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, leading to the widely negatively speculation that he is a personal fan of Los Blancos. In addition to officiating LaLiga matches, Mateu Lahoz was a FIFA listed international referee from 2011 to 2023. His resume includes matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia (and its qualifiers), the UEFA Euro 2020, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He has also refereed many important matches in the UEFA Champions League. His reputation for controversy and inconsistency extends to his international career as well, known for making disputable decisions and "errors" during the 2018 Champions League quarter-final between Manchester City and Liverpool as well as the 2021 Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea. Also, during the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final between the Netherlands and Argentina, known as the "Battle of Lusail", Mateu Lahoz was heavily criticized for erratically issuing a record 18 yellow cards. He refereed only two matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, both high-profile, while handing out over 35 cards, leading to him becoming an international "pantomime villain" of football.
Mateu Lahoz retired from LaLiga on June 4, 2023 after 288 matches, being received with a guard of honor and standing ovation at his last match.
Mateu Lahoz established himself as one of the most prominent referees in Spain during his career despite being considered extremely unpopular among many Spanish football fans due to his personal flair. He became notorious for allowing matches to descend into chaos by being nonreactive to play, then drawing more attention to himself than the game through bizarre discussions with players and controversial decisions. A number of his more questionable calls were made during intense matches between fierce Spanish rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, leading to the widely negatively speculation that he is a personal fan of Los Blancos. In addition to officiating LaLiga matches, Mateu Lahoz was a FIFA listed international referee from 2011 to 2023. His resume includes matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia (and its qualifiers), the UEFA Euro 2020, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He has also refereed many important matches in the UEFA Champions League. His reputation for controversy and inconsistency extends to his international career as well, known for making disputable decisions and "errors" during the 2018 Champions League quarter-final between Manchester City and Liverpool as well as the 2021 Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea. Also, during the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final between the Netherlands and Argentina, known as the "Battle of Lusail", Mateu Lahoz was heavily criticized for erratically issuing a record 18 yellow cards. He refereed only two matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, both high-profile, while handing out over 35 cards, leading to him becoming an international "pantomime villain" of football.
Mateu Lahoz retired from LaLiga on June 4, 2023 after 288 matches, being received with a guard of honor and standing ovation at his last match.