Mateu Lahoz was always associated with Real Madrid during his time as a referee. Now, as a candidate for president of the referees, even more so.
How Could I Not Love You!
How Could I Not Love You! This is what Florentino Pérez must think of Mateu Lahoz, his candidate for president of the referees.
Florentino Pérez has considered him to lead a change that brings about a different kind of refereeing. The kind of refereeing that Real Madrid TV likes, and therefore Florentino himself.
If as a referee he always pleased Real Madrid and displeased FC Barcelona, as a television analyst he further reaffirms Florentino Pérez's decision to support him as president of the referees. A president tailored to his needs.
Mateu Lahoz has acknowledged the tricks he played against Barça as a referee. For example, the LaLiga he took from Barça in 2014. When he disallowed a legal goal by Messi that was worth the title on the last matchday.
The Negreira League That Mateu Lahoz Snatched from Barça
Over time, Mateu Lahoz admitted that "with VAR, LaLiga would have been Barça's". But it wasn't. Meanwhile, it was a Negreira League that slipped away from Barça due to an unforgivable refereeing error.
Elvio Paolorroso, Gerardo Martino's assistant, confessed years later that Mateu Lahoz himself had apologized to them for his grave blunder. Unworthy of a referee awarded international status. For making a mistake against Barça?
Bochornoso, James empuja a Modric y Mateu Lahoz pita penalti.
An error that came before calling a penalty against Sevilla in a Real Madrid-Sevilla match. Mateu saw a push from James to Modric in Sevilla's area. That was Mateu Lahoz.
He is the ideal president for Florentino, without a doubt. And without blemish. Errors like these make him the ideal president of the referees.
"I made a mistake. It's very difficult for it to happen again with the conditioned schedule. They arrived practically tied in everything.
There was a play that we later saw that Juanfran didn't touch," Mateu said on 'El Partidazo de COPE'.
He added: "from my position, it was impossible to discern. I would've bet the 20 fingers of my hands and feet that Cesc had touched that ball. The responsibility was always given to the assistant, and that play was a team synergy, and I was the only one responsible for the play."
Polemic: Messi offside goal
It was the Negreira era, in which supposedly the referees favored Barça... even though they snatched leagues from them. But the opposite narrative has taken hold.
The Candidate Tailored to Florentino Pérez
Now Mateu has become a champion of the refereeing revolution. Meanwhile, he is making efforts for Florentino Pérez to support his candidacy to manage the referees from the presidency.
No one, not even he, has been able to provide a single piece of evidence that Negreira influenced the results by fixing matches. And among so many referees, it doesn't seem so difficult to find one who raises their hand to say: "They tried it with me". But no one appears.
Now he throws dirt at Negreira and those who coexisted with power at that time.
"Those who were clients of Negreira's son are doing much better today in UEFA," Mateu said. He didn't do so badly ending his career refereeing in the Qatar World Cup. And organizing the same scandals he staged in Spain.
Now Mateu Lahoz is on a roll winning the sympathies of Florentino Pérez. He is aware that the president of Real Madrid can't be kept angry forever.
Change is imminent. And he will be the change. And Real Madrid will have refereeing tailored to their dreams.