CONCACAF has imposed a penalty on Mexican referee Marco Antonio Ortiz, who officiated the match between Inter Miami and Kansas in the Champions League last Wednesday.
The match was played in very cold and difficult conditions with a temperature of -6 degrees, and Lionel Messi succeeded in leaving his mark after scoring the winning goal for coach Javier Mascherano’s team.
After the end of the match, referee Ortiz approached Messi and appeared to ask for his shirt, and later it became clear that he asked for an autograph for one of his relatives with special needs.
CONCACAF responded to what happened in statements through its official spokesperson to the media, “CONCACAF is aware of the interaction between Messi and Ortiz, the referee’s behavior is not in line with the Confederation’s Code of Conduct for Match Officials.”
He also continued, “The referee admitted his mistake, apologized for the incident and accepted the disciplinary action applied by CONCACAF.”
The penalty imposed on the Mexican referee has not been announced, although it is most likely a short suspension considering the humanitarian aspect of his violation of the rules.
