– How much time do you have? asks Viaplay’s Petter Veland when news turns on the thread about the Spanish football referee Mateu Lahoz. For the Spaniard who will referee Bodø/Glimt’s away match against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League is really something for himself. He is described as a judge who likes attention and who is far from as anonymous as many think a judge should be. TEDDY HUG: Former Inter star Arturo Vidal gets a good hug from Lahoz. Photo: CARL RECINE / Reuters – It is descriptive that the Norwegian press writes about the referee against a match. He has become a “celebrity” because of his judging – that doesn’t happen very often, says Veland. When Knutsen is asked about the charismatic referee, he has to smile a little. – Yes, I remember a situation where he helps a player (Antonio Rüdiger) up and gives a yellow at the same time. We get referees at the highest level, and there was a fantastic team of referees in the home game. You notice the level is at the very highest. We know we are in good and safe hands. We never focus on the judges, and we spend time on what we can do something about, says Knutsen to VG at the press conference. POSITIVE: Kjetil Knutsen believes they will get one of the best judges in the world in Zagreb. Photo: Mats Torbergsen / NTB 1322 yellow cards and 30 red cards in 268 La Liga games is the result since his first game in 2008. That corresponds to five cards in each game on average. Defends against “no look card” But he is much more than the card statistics. The referee is both loved and hated for his behavior in the matches, where he is often blamed for stealing the show. – It happens at regular intervals that he becomes the big talking point, not because it is about a refereeing error, but about his behaviour. One has learned that good judges are invisible, but Lahoz is the exact opposite, explains Veland. He used the opportunity to do so already in the first round of the La Liga series, where he awarded two penalties and one red card in the match between Cádiz and Osasuna, where all this happened against Cádiz. In addition, the red card was two yellows against Tomás Alarcon, who had not received his first yellow and therefore understood very little when he was sent off in the 76th minute. He thinks Lahoz’s body language stands out, and that he can seem indistinct. – With Lahoz, one is constantly in doubt. While players drive “no look pass”, Lahoz drives “no look card”. He can show the card to the left, but deals to the player on the right, explains Veland. That’s why he has a tip for players and coaches in Bodø/Glimt: – The tip is to be extremely attentive to whether you get a yellow card in order to know whether you can cut down a player to take one for the team or if a player is sent off . news’s football expert Åge Hareide also remembers a special episode with Lahoz from when his Denmark met Australia in 2018. Then the ball hit Yussuf Poulsen’s arm from behind, which caused Hareide to react. DISCUSSED: Here Åge Hareide has a chat with Mateu Lahoz and the refereeing team after playing 1-1 against Australia in the World Cup in 2018. Photo: Martin Meissner / AP – He was a bit funny. I talked to him a lot after the VAR decision. He did not want to take sides, but then he said that he did not think it was a punishment. It was almost a minute before he blew his whistle. Lahoz: – Nothing I can control. So now we expect something that will probably be a lot of pressure in Zagreb at Stadion Maksimir. The La Liga expert believes that Lahoz will be at his best there. – He did not allow himself to be influenced at all – quite the opposite. If the chief referees in Uefa had taken him aside and asked if he wanted to referee at Aspmyra or at Maksimir, he chose to referee in Zagreb. That’s where it boils the most and that’s where he feels he lives, says Veland. LA LIGA EXPERT: Petter Veland. Photo: Viasat Lahoz himself has explained that his ID must be shown even when he is wearing the judge’s suit. He thinks that may be the reason why many perceive him as a character out of the ordinary. – It is not something I can control. It’s an incredible concept, but I’m not the star. I just love football and live in it, said Lahoz to Spanish Marca. The Spaniard has previously been part of Valencia’s football academy, but there was no football career in the end. – I could play in the third division or be a football referee, so I chose to become a football referee, he has said. Got harsh criticism from Guardiola It is Lahoz who will be the referee representing Spain in the World Cup in Qatar, and at the latest in 2021 he refereed the Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City. Although Pep Guardiola did not want to comment on the referee before the final, he has spoken in negative terms about the Spaniard in the past. We are going back to 2018, when he was sent off by Lahoz against Liverpool in the Champions League. – I know him from Spain, so I could see it (red card) for myself. I was polite and I spoke the truth. Mateu Lahoz is a special guy. He likes to be different and special, Guardiola said at the time. RASA: Guardiola was furious with Mateu Lahoz in the 2018 Champions League clash between Manchester City and Liverpool. Photo: DARREN STAPLES / Reuters – When everyone sees something, he will do the opposite. It is too much to expel me, because I did not say anything wrong. If you follow Lahoz during the Mesterliga anthem, you should follow one special thing. He has a tendency to wink at the camera when players and referees line up during the Champions League anthem. – Many have wondered why he does it, but it is to let his mother know that he is fine. When he doesn’t wink at the camera, it’s his way of saying he’s not feeling well, says Veland.
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Expert defends the Bodø/Glimt players against the “celebrity referee” Mateu Lahoz – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
