Controversial World Cup referee who angered Messi reveals real reason for his retirement

• The 46-year-old referee left the field in tears while officiating the final game of last season
• He claims the Referees Technical Committee “encouraged” him to quit
• Liverpool City is tough to referee…but our campaign is up and running – IAKO

A controversial World Cup referee has revealed the real reason he was forced to retire after 32 years.

The Spanish official is notorious for his bold decisions in games, especially when he coached Argentina against the Netherlands at the World Cup last year.

The 46-year-old showed a record 17 cards, including a red card for Denzel Dumfries after Argentina’s penalty shootout win.

After the game, Messi was sent home before the semi-finals, sparking criticism of him.

Now, Mateu Lahos claims he was “demoted” and “urged” to retire by the Referee Technical Committee (CTA) after being given a guard of honor in last season’s final La Liga game.

‘There was some controversy, but people have to understand that I was demoted. They demoted me, that’s true,” he told Marca.

“I’m going to stay on the course. But for the CTA, I was one of the worst umpires last season and that’s why I didn’t get on the green.”

After the World Cup controversy, Lahoz immediately returned to the spotlight after showing 15 more cards against Barcelona and Espanyol.

When Messi initially criticized referees last year, he said: “I don’t want to talk about the referees because they sanction you. But people saw what happened.

“I think FIFA has to solve this problem. It cannot send referees like this in a game of this scale and importance. The referee cannot be incompetent for the task.”

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