Concacaf has taken disciplinary action against referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava for asking Lionel Messi for his shirt after Inter Miami CF’s 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City in the Concacaf Champions Cup. The referee approached Messi and asked for a jersey as a memento of the match, despite not having obtained permission from Concacaf officials.
The incident occurred immediately after the final whistle, and it was later clarified that Ortiz Nava had actually requested an autograph for a family member with special needs. However, this explanation did not justify the referee’s actions under Concacaf’s Code of Conduct for match officials.
Concacaf has accepted Ortiz Nava’s apology and imposed disciplinary action on the referee without specifying what it entails. Sporting Kansas City was informed about the incident and is awaiting further review from Concacaf.
The match itself saw Inter Miami triumph over Sporting KC in the first leg, with Lionel Messi scoring the only goal in the second half. The game had been initially postponed due to a winter storm warning but was played despite freezing cold temperatures.
Source: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/43945095