BarcelonaAntonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz (Algímia d’Alfara, Valencia, 1977) savors the icing on the cake in Qatar. His prolific career will most likely expire at the end of this season and he is enjoying every minute of his last great challenge. If luck is on his side he is likely to reach the highest heights but his legacy has long been written.
The Valencian will go down in history as a disruptive referee who changed authoritarian refereeing in favor of more friendly communication with the player. He landed in the Second Division in 2004 and from the first game he already showed his cards: he was betting on an unprecedented dialogue and accompanied the cards with a pedagogical argumentation. He soon made a name for himself and in 2008 entered the First Division with a good footing.
His arrival in the elite shook the arbitration establishment, represented by judges such as Pérez Burrull or Megía Dávila. The old school did not want to take on the change of paradigm but the refereeing collective was forced to abandon bad habits to start a new stage with attitudes more typical of the 21st century.
“play, play” lover
The philosophy of the international collegiate is very purist and consists of applying the rules of the game to the English, allowing contact and constantly adapting to the game and the players. An interpretation that has collected praise around the world. As usually happens, however, it never rains to everyone’s liking. One of the pioneers in opening the melon on the Mateu style was Xavi Hernández. The then captain of Barça explained that “footballistically, he takes you out of the loop because he doesn’t whistle fouls that are very clear, but it’s his judgment and we have to respect it”.
During the first seasons, the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) saw with good eyes the treatment he maintained with the players but over the years, Mateu achieved a popularity unbecoming of his profession thanks to the attention of the media communication Even in his town, Algímia d’Alfara, they named the town’s sports center after him.
The Valencian believed it and began to step on quicksand. He intensified the dialogue with the players, it was noticeable when the match did not have enough media coverage and his prominence swallowed him up. Gerard Piqué himself explained that one day, while Cristiano Ronaldo was attacking him, Mateu asked him about his children. Recently, the president of the Spanish referees, Luis Medina Cantalejo, sent him a poisoned dart when he declared that “a referee can never be a friend of the player, distances must be maintained”. Today, the Committee only calls him to referee low-profile matches.
All won, all to win
On the other hand, in Europe, the wind is blowing in its favour: it is a star that shines with its own light and this is reflected in the designations. When the matches arrive where the teams play the carobs, they usually send Mateu Lahoz to prevent the blood from reaching the river. He reached his peak when he whistled the 2021 Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester City. That day, Tony completed an excellent performance thanks to unbeatable management of the match.
The international train he boarded in 2011 has one last station: Qatar. The call of the selector Pierluigi Collina responds to the unwavering confidence that UEFA professes in him. His name resonates strongly to be the last referee in Doha. He will have to beat the other favorites: Italian Daniele Orsato, French Clément Turpin, Dutch Danny Makkelie and Polish Szymon Marciniak.
After making his debut in the World Cup in Russia and a poor participation in the last European Cup, Mateu is still fully mature in his second World Cup, a championship that will allow him to write his name in golden letters in the book of Spanish refereeing, where only the Basque Juan Gardeazábal surpasses him, who whistled in Sweden ’58, Chile ’62 and England ’66.
Photographs for memory
The pressure does not scare Mateu, who enjoys being in the spotlight. They don’t dazzle him. Take a smile. Sometimes he lives more depending on the media attention than what happens on the pitch. At this point it won’t change. In his photo album there is a very strong hug with Gianluigi Buffon, who was depressed by not qualifying for the World Cup in Russia. Or the tears that fell during the medal presentation at the Champions League final. Or the photogenic harangue in Zinchenko on the turf in Cardiff.
This Friday, Antonio Mateu will jump onto the grass again, at the Lusail stadium, to give a new lesson in dialogue and arbitration. He earned the right to do so after putting peace in Iran – United States and now he will have the honor of experiencing the exciting Netherlands – Argentina up close. Will it be his last service?
In any case, when the Valencian returns to Algímia d’Alfara he will do so with a historic match under his arm, with the satisfaction of having lived up to it and with the recognition of the world of football. And most likely with a new hug for his photo album.
