He is Florentino Pérez's and Real Madrid TV's favorite. He knows it. He is destined to be the new president of the referees.
Mateu Lahoz, the President of the Referees Florentino Wants
Florentino Pérez is obsessed with ending the established order in the refereeing body. He dreams of getting rid of everyone to put his own people in place.
Among his people, the best positioned is Mateu Lahoz. A former referee now involved in criticizing his colleagues on Cadena COPE and Movistar.
EL GOL QUE COSTO UNA LIGA ANULADO A LEO MESSI
The more he criticizes, the more Florentino Pérez likes him. As much or more than when in the past he dedicated himself to taking titles away from Barça with his decisions.
Mateu Lahoz's career largely unfolded during the Negreira era. During that time, he took a league away from Barça by disallowing a Messi goal in the last matchday of LaLiga at Camp Nou.
It was the 2013-14 season, Barça only had to beat Atlético in the last matchday. Mateu Lahoz made sure to prevent it with a decision that no one in Barcelona has forgotten.
Penalty in Favor of Real Madrid
He was also the protagonist of a long list of disastrous decisions in some cases and suspicious in others. Like the case of the penalty awarded in favor of Real Madrid for a push by James on Modric inside the... opponent's area.
Bochornoso, James empuja a Modric y Mateu Lahoz pita penalti.
It is clear that, as a referee, he was not at all suspected of being a Barcelonist. Despite living in the Negreira era, something Florentino dislikes.
And in his role as a critic of the referees, he keeps the bar high to score well on Real Madrid TV.
In the play of Aritz Elustondo's expulsion in the Barça-Real Sociedad match yesterday, there is unanimity of criteria. The player from Donostia was rightly expelled for his hold and for being the last man separating Olmo from the goalkeeper.
Everyone, even Real Sociedad's coach, Imanol, agrees that the decision was correct. Everyone except Mateu Lahoz, who doesn't lose coherence, maintains the same line he showed as a referee.
New Rant by Mateu Lahoz Against His Former Colleagues
For him, the Basque player was wrongly expelled. On Tiempo de Juego on COPE, he said: "Javi López could have reached the ball contest with Dani Olmo".
He added: "For me, Elustondo shouldn't have been expelled against Barça. It was a yellow card because Javi López could have reached the ball contest with Dani Olmo".
"For it to be a clear goal-scoring opportunity and meet all the elements, Dani Olmo had to control many balls.
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At the distance it occurs, the lateral teammate going for coverage (Javi López), logically has the potential to compete for that ball and there will be a contest".
And he concludes: "That play is totally a yellow card. Although the problem is that it's a red card picture".
Another one of Mateu Lahoz's rants against his former colleagues. Very much in line with Real Madrid TV's editorial stance.
It's Decided: He Will Be the Next President of the Referees
"My feeling is that the defender could have reached to cut it. These are decisions that change a match". Indeed, if Mateu Lahoz had refereed that match, his decision would have changed the game.
Mateu Lahoz knows like few others how to change a match against Barça... to harm them.
What seems clear is that Mateu Lahoz has his strategy well on track to replace Medina Cantalejo at the head of the referees. One must make peace with Florentino Pérez, and there's nothing better than placing one of his favorites at the top, if not the most.