Concacaf has taken action against referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava for his conduct after the Champions Cup match between Inter Miami and Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday.
Nava was seen approaching Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi and appeared to be asking for his shirt.
Nava later stated that he was actually requesting an autograph for a relative with special needs.
However, his actions were found to be a violation of Concacaf’s code of conduct for officials.
A statement made available to ESPN, read in part: “The referee’s conduct does not align with the Confederation’s Code of Conduct for match officials and existing processes for these types of requests.
“The referee has acknowledged his mistake, apologized for the incident, and accepted the disciplinary action Concacaf has applied.”
The specific disciplinary measures that Concacaf will impose on Nava have yet to be confirmed.
Inter Miami emerged victorious with a 1-0 win, with Messi scoring the only goal in the second half.
