Concacaf has sentenced referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava for asking for Lionel Messi's shirt and signature after Inter Miami CF won Sporting Kansas City at the 2025 Concaf Champions Cup on Thursday, February 20, 2025, at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City.
After the final whistle sounded, the referee approached Messi and seemed to ask for his shirt as a memento of the match.
Although it was later clarified that Ortiz Nava actually asked for signatures for family members with special needs, the measure violated the Concacaf official code of ethics.
"Concaf learned of the interaction between referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava and Lionel Messi as soon as the final whistle of the Concacaf Champions Cup match between Sporting Kansas City and Inter Miami CF."
"After being investigated, Concacaf learned that the referee came to the player to ask for a signature for family members with special needs."
"The referee's behavior is not in line with the Confederation Code of Ethics for match officials and the process that applies to this type of demand."
"The referee has admitted his mistake, apologized for the incident, and accepted the disciplinary action that Concacacaf has taken," a Concacaf spokesman told ESPN.
SEE ALSO:
-
| OLAHRAGA
Bernardo Silva Harapkan Perubahan di Manchester City setelah Musim Ini Rampung
21 Februari 2025, 15:05 -
| OLAHRAGA
Vinicius Junior Balas Spanduk Ejekan dari Suporter Manchester City
21 Februari 2025, 14:35
Sporting Kansas City added that the team had informed Concacaf and MLS (Major League Soccer) about the situation.
"We told Concacaf and Major League Soccer about the incident after the match against Inter Miami CF."
"We are awaiting further review of the matter and actions that Concacaf will take," the Sporting Kansas City statement read.
Concacaf has not disclosed what disciplinary action will be given to the referee.
Inter Miami won 1-0 over Sporting KC in the first leg of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup with a goal from Messi in the second half.
The match was initially postponed for 24 hours due to a winter storm warning forecasting snow five to seven inches thick in Kansas City.
Although the city did not experience snowfall on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, players were forced to participate in the cold that caused Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano to call the condition inhumane.
Inter Miami will now host Sporting KC at the Chase Stadium on February 25, 2025 for the tournament's second leg.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
