Antonio Mateu Lahoz has made a remarkable career switch. The 46-year-old former referee can be seen as an analyst on Spanish television from next season. Lahoz, who drew no less than eighteen cards at the last World Cup between the Dutch national team and Argentina, was forced to stop as a referee in Spain at the end of last season.
Lahoz recently reportedly turned down an offer to whistle in Saudi Arabia. The former referee starts working as an analyst. In the Champions League broadcasts of the Movistar + channel, he will shed light on the arbitral decisions that are made in the tournament. On Wednesday, August 16, he will make his debut at the UEFA Super Cup between Manchester City and Sevilla.
At the end of April, news came out that Lahoz had been told by referee boss Luis Medina Cantalejo that he had to end his career. The 46-year-old Lahoz would have been pushed aside because of his age, just like colleague Carlos del Cerro Grande (47). He whistled his last game in LaLiga at the end of May, after which players from Real Mallorca and Rayo Vallecano formed a guard of honor for the emotional referee.
During the last World Cup in Qatar, Lahoz played the leading role during the quarterfinals between the Netherlands and Argentina (2-2, 3-4 after penalties). He drew no fewer than eighteen (!) yellow cards in that match. After that much-discussed duel, Lahoz was not assigned a match in the global final tournament.
After the World Cup, he also came into the spotlight at the national level. Lahoz again claimed a (negative) leading role during the duel between Barcelona and Espanyol (1-1). Barcelona received ten yellow cards and a red (for Jordi Alba), Espanyol received another eight yellow cards and a red (Vinicius Souza). His performance was fiercely criticized afterwards, including by Barcelona coach Xavi.