Antonio Mateu Lahoz, the referee who officiated the 2022 FIFA World Cup match between Argentina and Holland will not be assigned any other game.
The Spanish referee was sent home following the decision made by the world football governing body, FIFA.
Mateu issued 17 yellow cards during the high-tempered clash staged at the iconic Lusail Stadium on Friday, December 9.
Moreover, the 45-year-old official slapped Dutch right-back Denzel Dumfries with a red card even though the match had ended.
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Players who were involved in the match including Lionel Messi and Emiliano Martinez as well as thousands of football fans criticized Mateu for most of the decisions he made during the match.
“I don’t want to talk about the referee, because they penalize you, you can’t say what you think.
“FIFA has to review that, they can’t put it in such an instance. The referee is not up to the task,” Messi was quoted by TyC Sports.
Netherlands, under the tutelage of Louis Van Gaal, came from a goal down to force the game to go into extra time.
However, the South Americans gave a spirited fight and went on to send Netherlands home on post-match penalty shootouts.
Liverpool's reliable centre-back Virgil Van Dijk was among the stars who missed a penalty for the Dutch.
Argentina is scheduled to play Croatia in the first semifinal match of the Qatar World Cup on Tuesday, December 13 at 10.00 pm East African Time.