It is a rare time when the referee grabs the limelight from a football match, but Spain's Mateo Lahoz, who led the eighth stage of the La Liga between Barcelona and Seville, which ended in a clean four for the Catalan team, has become the talk of the Spanish and international press.
The referee, known for his rigor and passion for colored cards, famous for eight yellow cards and three minutes before the end of the game Barca players Ronald Araujo and Othman Dembele with direct red cards, in addition to the debates he entered with the players and alerts and verbal warnings during the game.
If Araujo's dismissal was justified because the referee considered him the last player and hindered Javier Hernandez, who was headed solo by Tere Stegen, but Dembele's direct red card was not caused by obstruction or interference, but a few words in Spanish by the French star to the referee.
Spanish newspapers revealed that Dembele told the referee, "very bad, you are very bad," and the analysis of the Spanish media differed on the way the abuse of the Competitions Committee in the Spanish federation, which has submitted an appeal against the expulsion of Dembele and Araujo.
The newspaper Mundo Deportivo, said that this phrase is not considered an insult and can be placed in the box recklessness and indifference, and if not insulted, Dembele will miss the face of Ibar and return Alcalasico against Real Madrid on the 26th of this month, in contrast, "Cadena" radio that the Commission The Frenchman, who will meet on Wednesday to decide on Dembele, will be sentenced to two matches.
This is the first red card for the Frenchman in 147 games played with Rennes, Dortmund and Barca.
"Everyone has his opinion, but that's what the referee sees. For me from the field, I didn't see that Araujo made a mistake on the opponent, and Dembele was riddled with a mystery, because you can hardly understand his words in Spanish," said Barca coach Ernesto Valverde.
Before the two expulsions, which provoked much controversy, there was a heated debate in the 63rd minute between referee Lahoz and Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez after the latter warned the yellow card. "You cannot discuss," the referee replied. "Do not mistake me," Suarez replied. ".
But the verdict ended the debate with a sharp look as if it threatened Suarez, "I tell you not to make a mistake."
The referee did not stop Lahaz here, as he warned Gerard Pique in the 85th minute after kicking the ball after it became off the pitch, to find out later that the Catalan defender got the warning to be punished by suspension for the match against Eibar and be ready for El Clasico against Real Madrid. The Competitions Committee found that Pique deliberately obtained the card will be suspended two games and thus miss the Clasico.