Antonio Mateu Lahoz is a Spanish international football referee who is renowned for refereeing at the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He was also selected to referee at the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He is listed with the Spanish football association and has officiated in La Liga since 2008. He is a well-known referee with a unique and talkative demeanor and has handled both UEFA and other international competitions.
Lahoz has worked as a referee in the 2022 Qatar football world cup as well. On 10 December 2022, he was the referee in the quarter-final between the Netherlands and Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In addition to this, he was the referee for the USMNT’s 1-0 victory over Iran in a group-stage match. The following match was between Senegal and the host nation of Qatar, and it concluded 3-1 in Senegal’s favor. He has come into wider focus during Champions League games in the last 12 months with fans from across Europe getting the chance to witness his unorthodox style.
Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz Leaves World Cup 2022
Antonio Mateu Lahoz will not be assigned any further games at the 2022 World Cup and will now return home. According to Spanish outlet COPE, Lahoz has been informed that he will not be handed any further games this tournament and is now heading back to his homeland. Lahoz was notably called out by Lionel Messi and Emiliano Martinez on Friday night despite their win, with the latter pleading for him not to be handed another Argentina match.
Messi said: “I don’t want to speak about referees because after they will sanction you. But people saw what happened. “I think FIFA must take care of this, it cannot put a referee like that for a match of such magnitude, of such importance. The referee cannot fail to be up to the task.” Martinez added: “The referee was just giving everything for them. He gave 10 minutes [stoppage time] for no reason. He was giving free-kicks outside the box for them, like two, three times. He just wanted them to score, that’s basically it. So, hopefully we don’t have that ref anymore. He’s useless.”
What is Antonio Mateu Lahoz Known For?
- Antonio Mateu Lahoz is a Spanish football referee.
- International referee, he is known for his work at the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
- He is renowned for issuing yellow cards for even the smallest of altercations while dismissing potentially harmful ones.
- He is known for his talkative and “quirky” approach to refereeing.
What is Antonio Mateu Lahoz Nationality?
Antonio Mateu Lahoz was born with the birth name of Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz on 12th March 1977 which makes him the present age of 45 in 2022. He is from Algímia d’Alfara, Valencia, Spain. He holds Spanish nationality and his ethnicity is Spanish-White. He has not disclosed the details about his parents’ names to the media. However, he is very close to his mother. About his siblings, he has two brothers and three sisters. His elder brother encouraged him to be a football referee. He was a physical education teacher before becoming a football referee. His elder sister also worked as a teacher.
How did Antonio Mateu Lahoz start his career?
- It was in 2008 Lahoz started working as a referee in La Liga. Previously, he worked as a referer in Tercera División (1999-2002), Segunda División B (2002-2004), and Segunda División (2004-2008).
- After then, he made his career as a referee. Today, he is one of the notable referees in Spain.
- Since 2011, he is working as an international referee with experience at the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
- Lahoz was the referee of the 2021 champions league final. On 29 May 2021, he refereed the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final between Manchester City and Chelsea. He was one of the 20 referees assigned to serve as a referee in the Euro 2020 tournament.
- Back then, he once announced his retirement with the upcoming Euro 2020 set to be his last assignment. The Antonio Mateu Lahoz retirement news comes on the verge of the referee being named as a member of the 18-man group of referees set to feature at the Euro 2020.
- He worked as a referee in the 2022 Qatar football world cup as well. On 10th December 2022, he was the referee in the quarter-final between the Netherlands and Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He issued 18/17 yellow cards, which is the record for most cards issued during a World Cup match.
- Overall, Antonio Mateu Lahoz has refereed 32 games, comprising 3 World Cup games, 5 Champions League games, 1 Nations League game, 1 Europa Conference League game, 1 World Cup Qualifying – Europe game, 2 Europa League games, 1 Copa del Rey game and 18 La Liga games over a year. He issued 117 yellow cards at a rate of 3.66 per game and 7 red cards at a rate of 0.22 per game during the period.
Who is Antonio Mateu Lahoz Wife?
Antonio Mateu Lahoz is a married man. He has kept his personal life private. Lahoz and his wife are blessed with two children. He has not disclosed the name of his wife and their married date to the media. However, the family is living a happy life right now.
What is Antonio Mateu Lahoz Net Worth?
Antonio Mateu Lahoz is a football referee whose net worth is estimated to have $1 million as of 2022. He is paid a base salary of $70,000 for the world cup 2022 and $3,000 per game in match fees. His annual salary is in thousand of dollars from his professional career. He lives a modest lifestyle right now from his career earnings.
How tall is Antonio Mateu Lahoz?
Antonio Mateu Lahoz is a handsome man with a tall height of 5 feet 10.5 inches or 1.80 m or 180 cm. His body weight consists of 74 KG. His body type is athletic. He enters stadiums sporting rock-star sunglasses and a dazzling grin. His hair is bald on the top whereas he has small-length light brown-black hair on the sides and back. He has got a pair of brown eyes. About his hair, he said “I thought about putting hair on. I got an offer for an implant. They would pay me to put it on, but my children and my wife told me they like my looks.”
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