Mexican referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava has been banned from officiating in Concacaf competitions for six months after asking Lionel Messi for his autograph, a source has told ESPN.
Concacaf opened disciplinary action against Ortiz Nava after the 36-year-old approached Messi at the final whistle of Inter Miami CF's Concacaf Champions Cup 1-0 win at Sporting Kansas City on Feb. 19 asking for his autograph for a family member with special needs.
In a statement, Concacaf said last week that the referee's conduct "does not align with the Confederation's Code of Conduct for match officials" and added that Ortiz Nava had "acknowledged his mistake, apologized for the incident, and accepted the disciplinary action Concacaf has applied."
Ortiz Nava, who refereed Friday's Mexican league game between Puebla and Club Tijuana, will continue officiating in Mexico's Liga MX while he serves the ban. The same source told ESPN that should Ortiz Nava reoffend, he will be punished indefinitely.
