Cristiano Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr teammates face a crucial top of the table clash against Al-Ittihad in a fixture which will be officiated by controversial Spanish official Mateu Lahoz, according to AS.
Lahoz made headlines at the World Cup during the quarter final clash between Argentina and the Netherlands in which he brandished 18 yellow cards. He handed eight to each team as well as one each to Lionel Scaloni and Water Samuel on the Argentina bench to make him an unpopular figure with the South American nation.
Lionel Messi avoided a yellow and will have been relived as eventual winners Argentina reached the semi finals on penalties after a fiery encounter in Qatar. The scenes resulted in the match being the last of Lahoz's tournament, with the Spaniard being sent home as Poland's Szymon Marciniak took charge of the final.
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After the match, Messi hinted at his dissatisfaction with the officials, saying: "I don't want to speak about referees because after they will sanction you. But people saw what happened.
He added: "I think FIFA must take care of this, it cannot put a referee like that for a match of such magnitude, of such importance. The referee cannot fail to be up to the task."
Such criticism is something Lahoz has become used to in his career as an official in La Liga from 2006, with a tense rivalry between Barcelona and Madrid often drawing accusations of favouritism from both sides. Ronaldo will be used to the referee, who he has encountered numerous times throughout his career.
The 48-year-old plans to retire at the end of the season, but not after he has officiated the Saudi 'Superclasico' clash on Thursday, with the teams first and second in the Saudi Pro League table. It will not be the Spaniard's first time officiating in the league, having also taken charge of matches in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns.
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