The European Football Association (UEFA) has made a mistake, the consequences of which could be dire. His appointment as a controversial Spanish referee to manage the Champions League semi-final match between Lyon and Bayern Munich next Wednesday.
Uefa announced the appointment of Spanish international referee Antonio Matteo Lahues (43 years), and he is assisted by the Spanish (Var) video assistant referees: Alejandro Hernandez, Jose Maria and Sanchez Martinez.
The appointment of Lahues is a risk from UEFA because the referee is a Spanish man and one of the two rival teams - which is Bayern Munich - swept the Spanish team Barcelona 8-2 in the quarter-finals last Friday, and with this historic defeat it caused a scandal for the old club, but for Spanish football in general, which may affect Negative to the referee during his management of the match.
Looking forward to the Mateu Lahoz show tomorrow. #Clasico pic.twitter.com/BSAwYwpMmy
- Navid Molaaghaei (@navidjaaan) February 5, 2019
Lahoz is also known in Spain as an eccentric, even Barcelona defender Gerard Pique quipped him after a match against Real Madrid in March 2015 that Lahoz asked him about his children while trying to cut the ball from Cristiano Ronaldo.
🚨Mateu Lahoz en el Bayern-Lyon y Hernández Hernández y Sánchez Martínez en el VAR https://t.co/1orjhQFbX4
- MARCA (@marca) August 17, 2020
Even the Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo devoted a report to him last year, in which it monitored the many sarcastic and negative statements made by coaches and players against him, and said that he always loves to be the protagonist through his controversial decisions in the matches he directs.
Other reports stated that the ruling liked to be the talk of the Spanish press through his controversial decisions.
Seee Diving… ..Diving mu Pro Max 😂😂😂😂Mateu Lahoz was in the VAR room …… No wonder🤦 pic.twitter.com/CLiP1HYA49
- @Kayne Masco⏱ (@Kayne_Masco) July 1, 2020
Lahouz is also accused of committing naive mistakes sometimes, which prompted the late Barcelona coach Tito Villanova in 2012 to make a violent statement against him, saying that he “understands that the referee misses a ball or a penalty kick, but Lahus adjusts the outcome of the match according to his vision.”
The controversial referee used to engage in heated discussions with the players, so that Messi - who rarely comments on referees' decisions - objected to him in the matches he directed to Barcelona, including the last El Clasico against Real Madrid, although his colleague Luis Suarez was the fiercest in protesting against him, according to Spanish newspapers.
War of words between Mateu Lahoz, Suarez and Messi. [EL Dia Despues] pic.twitter.com/iQoRNkJ8H8
- Semper (@semprebarcaa) December 21, 2017
Lahouz also fell into a strange behavior when he was a fourth referee at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where he stood over the head of the Brazilian star Neymar after his famous fall to the ground and rotating several times, as the player was completely in the middle of his legs in a very strange appearance.
Antonio Mateu Lahoz or the Golden buzzer? pic.twitter.com/OZipgSKR5l
- Scott McRoy (@Scott_McRoy) June 12, 2019
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- A former international ruling