One should be careful about asking Lionel Messi for an autograph.
At least if you're a referee.
This is something Mexican Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava has experienced.
Ortiz Nava refereed the match between Sporting Kansas City and Messi's Inter Miami in the Champions Cup. Afterwards, he approached Messi and asked the Argentine superstar for an autograph.
Concacaf, the football association for North, South, and Central America as well as the Caribbean, states in a statement according to ESPN that Ortiz Nava has broken the rules – even though the autograph was for a family member with "special needs".
It is unclear whether he risks punishment.
According to the statement, Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava has apologized.
Inter Miami won the match 1–0. The return match is played on Tuesday.
