Spanish referee Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz, who has history with Pep Guardiola, will take charge of this season’s Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea, UEFA have confirmed.
The premier champions and Chelsea will go head-to-head later this month in an all-English final to determine who will strip Bayern Munich of their current tag of Champions of Europe.
The 44-year-old Spaniard, an international referee since 2011, will be taking charge of his first UEFA Champions League final, after serving as fourth official at the 2019 final between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in Madrid.
He has officiated at six matches in the UEFA Champions League this season, including the quarter-final first-leg between Bayern München and Paris Saint-Germain. Mateu Lahoz has also been selected as one of the referees for UEFA EURO 2020.
The Spanish official has had previous controversial history with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, sending him to the stands in a notorious Champions League exit in a quarter-final second-leg against Liverpool in 2018.
Speaking after the clash at the Etihad in 2018, Pep Guardiola said of Lahoz, “The referee is a special guy, he likes to be different. Whenever people see the things, he will decide the opposite.”
Guardiola will no doubt have this memory going through his brain now that Mateu Lahoz has been named as the man to take charge of the final.
In reaction to the news shared on Twitter by Man City Xtra and City Chief, many Man City fans have expressed their thoughts and opinions.
Ferna’s getting sent off before half time😭
— Oh Zai (@ohzai17) May 12, 2021
We’re finished
— . (@Zaks456) May 12, 2021
This guy HATES Guardiola
— Kushagra (@Kushagra9320) May 12, 2021
He is been in fight against Pep since 2012 in La Liga. He knocked us out in UCL round of 16 vs Monoco in 2017, knocked out in 2018 vs Liverpool by not rewarding 2 penalties to City, sent off Pep, disallowed Bernardo goal as offside & was laughing all that night, Not good for Pep!
— Abdikadir Ak (@AbdikadirDeck) May 12, 2021
advantage chelsea
— 𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙢. (@mcfcgov) May 12, 2021
Congratulations Chelsea. We are done. The guy hates Pep. Nice one UEFA!
— Jayne Price (@neildesperandum) May 12, 2021
Congratulations to Chelsea, well deserved second UCL for you lot🤝
— Dani (@Rodridiculous) May 12, 2021
Well if we take our chances then probability of him deciding the game will be less…it just cant be a close scoreline otherwise we doomed with this guy
— Cityzennn (@thecityzensfc) May 12, 2021
We do what we should do and he can’t decide anything
— ً (@ali_nw7) May 12, 2021
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