Concacaf has taken disciplinary action against referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava after he seemingly asked Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi for his jersey following their Champions Cup victory over Sporting Kansas City.
After the final whistle, Nava approached Messi and appeared to request his shirt. He later explained that he was actually asking for an autograph for a relative with special needs.
However, his actions violated Concacaf’s code of conduct for match officials.
A statement provided to ESPN read in part: “The referee’s conduct does not align with the Confederation’s Code of Conduct for match officials and existing processes for these types of requests.”
It added that Nava had “acknowledged his mistake, apologized for the incident, and accepted the disciplinary action.”
Concacaf has yet to disclose the specific disciplinary measures.
Messi’s second-half goal secured Miami’s 1-0 win.
