Lionel Messi’s apology was unique. He apologized for his harsh words in a moment where he could have been angry enough.
“Mateu Lahoz has revealed what Messi did to him after an altercation during the World Cup quarterfinals,” the British media outlet Tribuna reported on Tuesday.
Lajos began refereeing in Spain in the 2002/03 season. Since September 2009, he has officiated in La Liga matches, and since 2011, he has been a FIFA referee at international level.
If a player protests too much, Lajos will not hesitate to show his red card. In one game, he famously showed a group of players from one team a red card when they all jumped on him at once to protest. The punishment for challenging his authority was unconditional.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Lajoie officiated the quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands, which ended in a hard-fought 2-2 draw after extra time, but it was Lajoie, not Messi or any player from either team, who received the most attention after the game.
La Roja tied the record for most yellow cards in a single match in World Cup history with 16. The La Liga referee is notorious among La Liga fans for being very authoritarian and inconsistent in his calls, and this game only added to that notoriety.
Even after extra time, Lahoz cautioned Steven Berchwein, who was substituted at halftime in regulation, for protesting on the bench at the start of the penalty shootout, and Denzel Dumfries, who was cautioned in the 18th minute of extra time, received a further warning after the game and was officially sent off.
“I don’t want to talk about the referee because I’m sure there will be sanctions, but Laos is not the right referee for this place, he’s the worst referee in the World Cup by far,” Messi said after the game, and he was also seen on the pitch with strong words for Lajoie.
In a recent interview, Lahoz said Messi apologized for his harsh words. 스포츠토토
“La Roja handed out 18 warnings to players and coaching staff on the day,” said Tribuna. As a result of the accusations, Lahoz was sent back to Spain, and Messi was one of the players who protested the most against Lahoz during the game. He was also seen making harsh comments to Lahoz during the game.”
According to the report, Lahoz said, “Messi later called me and apologized for his harsh words. He said, ‘I wasn’t myself at the time,'” Lahoz said, noting that Messi apologized for his harsh words because he was in the middle of a game.
The outlet praised Messi’s apology, saying, “There’s nothing special about it, but Messi has once again become the most humble player of all time.”
Meanwhile, Lajoz retired from officiating after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, playing a farewell match in June between Mallorca and Rayo Vallecano.