CONCACAF Champions Cup Referee To Be Punished Over Messi – He Couldn’t Resist The Legend

After the match, the referee asked Leo for a signed jersey—now he's facing sanctions from the confederation.

In the early hours of February 20, a CONCACAF Champions Cup match took place between Sporting Kansas City and Inter Miami. The game was decided by a single goal from Argentine superstar Lionel Messi — his first of the year. It was a stunning strike, reminiscent of his iconic goal against Bayern. However, the most talked-about moment wasn’t the goal but an incident involving the referee, who was sanctioned precisely because of Messi.

We're used to fans asking for jerseys after matches, and even players often swap shirts — it’s a normal tradition in football. However, this time, a referee was punished for doing just that.

After the game, the match official asked Messi for a signed jersey for a relative, and Leo obliged. However, CONCACAF disapproved of this interaction and imposed sanctions on the referee, citing a violation of the confederation’s code of conduct for match officials. The referee admitted his mistake and accepted the disciplinary measures.

"CONCACAF is aware of the interaction between referee Marco Ortiz and player Lionel Messi immediately after the final whistle of the Champions Cup match between Kansas City and Inter Miami. Following an investigation, CONCACAF confirmed that the referee approached the player to request a jersey for a family member," the confederation’s statement read.

In this case, it’s hard not to sympathize with the referee — he didn’t commit any serious offense. There were no accusations of biased officiating or match-fixing; he simply did his job well and, after the game, asked a football legend for a jersey. It wasn’t before the match, and Messi wasn’t pressured to comply. While rules exist for a reason, sometimes human nature should take precedence — punishments should be reserved for poor officiating, not for a simple post-match request.

Despite the sanctions and his admission of fault, the referee probably isn’t too upset — he got Messi’s autograph, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. From a human perspective, it’s understandable, and even from a legal standpoint, the situation hardly warrants serious disciplinary action.

Published by Patrick Jane
22.02.2025