The referee who dished out 18 cards during the infamous 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and the Netherlands in Qatar has claimed that Lionel Messi called him to apologise for things he said to the official.
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Referee Mateu Lahoz received heavy criticism for his performance during the heated last-eight encounter, in which he handed out 17 yellow cards and a red card over the course of the 120 minutes.
Both teams had been angered at decisions made by Lahoz during the game, but it was Messi's words during and after the quarter-final, which Argentina won on penalties, that seemed to cause the most controversy at the tournament.
Speaking after the match, the Albiceleste captain said that "FIFA cannot appoint a referee of this calibre for matches of this magnitude", words Lahoz has now claimed the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has apologised for.
"Leo Messi called me after the Netherlands game in the World Cup and apologised for the harsh words he said to me during the game," he told Tiempo de Juego.
"He was a different Messi in that game. He behaved very badly in the World Cup, it was a shame. We shared more than 50 matches together down the years.
"After the Topo Gigio celebration [cupped ears], the Dutch got excited and it was a provocation."
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Messi and his Argentine teammates went on to win the World Cup in the Middle East with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over France following an action-packed 3-3 draw on 18 December.
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