Concacaf has made a decision regarding Marco Antonio Ortiz after he approached Lionel Messi at the end of the match between Inter Miami and Sporting Kansas City in the Concachampions
And it is that the Mexican referee recognized the conversation he had with ‘La Pulga’, something that is prohibited, so he received a punishment; this was reported by ESPN
Sanction to Marco Antonio Ortiz
According to the US media outlet, and after investigations by Concacaf, they determined that Ortiz violated the competition regulations, who, despite not asking Lionel Messi for his shirt, did ask him for an autograph for a noble cause; however, this is prohibited
“Following an investigation, Concacaf was able to learn that the referee approached the player to request an autograph for a relative with special needs. The referee’s actions are not in line with the Confederation’s Code of Conduct for match officials and the necessary processes for such requests,” they said in a statement
After the controversy that arose on social networks, ‘Gato’ Ortiz will comply with the measures that will be taken: “The referee has accepted his mistake, apologized for the incident and accepted the disciplinary actions applied by Concacaf”
Sporting Kansas City protests against referee
On the other hand, ESPN revealed that the Kansas City team presented the case to Concacaf and MLS to take action on the matter
“We have informed Concacaf and Major League Soccer about the incident that took place after Wednesday’s match against Inter Miami. We are awaiting a thorough review and the actions that Concacaf will take in this regard,” they said
At the moment, Concacaf has not revealed what the disciplinary actions against Marco Antonio Ortiz consisted of, who once again adds another stripe to his controversial history, who has been in the eye of the hurricane after the final between America and Cruz Azul
Inter Miami took a 1-0 victory in the first leg of the first round against Sporting Kansas City; they will play the second leg next Wednesday, February 25 at Chase Stadium to define the ticket to the round of 16 of the Concachampions, where the winner will face Cavalier of Jamaica.
