Referee slapped with six-month ban after making special request to Lionel Messi during Inter Miami’s Champions Cup clash with Sporting Kansas City

Mexican referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava approached Messi at the final whistle of Miami’s CONCACAF Champions Cup win over Kansas City last week and asked for his autograph to give to a family member with special needs. North America’s controlling football body (CONCACAF) opened disciplinary action against the 36-year-old. According to ESPN, Ortiz Nava has been ‘banned from officiating in CONCACAF competitions for six months’.

This is not a good look for Ortiz Nava, who is said to have acknowledged his mistake and apologised for his actions, as questions of impartiality may now dog his career as an official. The report adds that if he reoffends, he will be ‘punished indefinitely’.

ESPN’s source states that while Ortiz Nava cannot officiate in CONCACAF competitions for half a year, he will continue refereeing in Mexico’s Liga MX – which is part of the CONCACAF confederation.