On Wednesday, February 19, Mexican Marco Antonio ‘Gato’ Ortiz Nava (36 years) arbitrated Sporting Kansas City-Inter of Miami, first leg of the first round of the Concacaf Champions Cup. The visitors won (0-1 ), With goal from his great star, Leo Messi.
After the game, and while the players, still on the grass, retired to the locker room, the referee approached Messi. And asked for the shirt and an autograph. According to his version, he did it “for a relative with special needs.”
The reason wielded by Ortiz has not convinced the Confederation of North America, Central America and the Caribbean Football (Concacaf).
In a statement, Concacaf said it was aware “of the interaction that occurred between referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava and the player Lionel Messi immediately after the final whistle of the game.”
After conducting an investigation, Concacaf has sanctioned the Trencilla with six months of suspension. “The actions of the referee are not aligned with the code of conduct of the Confederation for game officers and the necessary processes for this type of requests,” said a spokesman.
Ortiz was disabled from all international activity, so he will not be able to whistle in the Gold Cup that is celebrated in the middle of the year, and it was even pointed out that his arbitration career is at risk. Although the Mexican League has not yet pronounced, in principle the punishment would not prevent him from continuing to whistle in the tournaments of his country.
Ortiz Nava has been exercised for 16 years and, among other international championships, has led matches of the Central American and Caribbean Games of 2018, the Concacaf 2018 League and the 2023 U-20 Soccer World Cup.
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