Antonio Mateu Lahoz was the centre of attention once again on Saturday afternoon after showing 16 cards during Barcelona's 1-1 draw against Espanyol.
Xavi's side took the lead through Marcos Alonso's early goal and boasted 78 per cent of the ball, but they were denied all three points by Joselu's late penalty. The result leaves Barcelona top of LaLiga - ahead of title rivals Real Madrid on goal difference. Carlo Ancelotti's side boosted their hopes with a 2-0 win at Valladolid on Friday night.
Despite the importance of Saturday afternoon's result, the game will be remembered for Lahoz's antics. It's just 22 days since he was sent home from the World Cup for showing 18 yellow cards and one red during Argentina's win against the Netherlands.
Ansu Fati, Gavi, Ferran Torres and Raphinha were among those to be booked by Lahoz on Saturday afternoon. There were also red cards for Barcelona's Jordi Alba and Espanyol's Vinicius Souza, while Xavi was booked by the 45-year-old official late on.
The Barcelona boss was not impressed with Lahoz's performance. "I told him that he had lost control of the game," said Xavi when asked why he was booked. "'Do you think?' - he said to me. But we keep coming back to the referee and I can't control the officials.
"They should come out and speak, explain their decisions and say what they said to the players. I can't do anything."
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Lahoz was also criticised for hugging Xavi during the first half. When asked about the incident, Xavi said: "He said he was happy to see me. I said I was happy him as well."
Yet Xavi was keen to avoid criticising Lahoz's display. He added: "It's our fault we drew. We can speak about the referee or other things, but it's down to us. When you have so many chances, get forward so many times, but aren't clinical, it is your fault.
"We had an excellent first 30 minutes, but we didn't know how to kill the game off. In the second half, we weren't at the rhythm or intensity required. We end the year top of the league with Real Madrid, but it's two points dropped today and it's our fault."
Lahoz is one of the most experienced referees in Europe after spending 14 years in LaLiga and taking charge of the Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea in May 2021. The controversial official remains on UEFA's list of 'elite' referees.
It was Lahoz's first LaLiga match since his infamous performance in the World Cup quarter-final. The Spaniard was criticised by Lionel Messi and Emiliano Martinez for that display, with the latter insisting: "The ref gave everything to them. It all turned upside down."
Messi said: "I don't want to talk about the referee because they sanction you. But people saw what happened. We were afraid before the match because we knew how he was and I think FIFA has to review this. You can't put a referee like him for these matches."
