Concacaf has taken disciplinary action against referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava after he appeared to ask Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi for his shirt following their Champions Cup win over Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday night.
After the final whistle, Nava approached Messi and seemed to request his jersey. The referee later explained that he was actually asking for an autograph for a relative with special needs.
However, this action violated Concacaf’s code of conduct for match officials.
In a statement provided to ESPN, Concacaf said:
“The referee’s behavior does not align with the Confederation’s Code of Conduct for match officials or the established processes for handling such requests.
“The referee has acknowledged his mistake, apologized for the incident, and accepted the disciplinary action imposed by Concacaf.”
Concacaf has not yet revealed what specific disciplinary measures will be taken against Nava.
Inter Miami won the match 1-0, with Messi scoring the decisive goal in the second half.
