Did ref really get a Messi jersey after Wednesday’s soccer match in Kansas City?
Switching jerseys with opponents after a match is customary in soccer worldwide. The tradition of good sportsmanship has even become a trend in the NFL and NBA.
And few jerseys are as coveted globally as those worn by an all-time soccer great like Lionel Messi.
But even against that backdrop, what appeared to happen after Wednesday night’s match in Kansas City, Kansas was stunning:
Referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava — who had just officiated a CONCACAF Champions Cup game between Messi’s Inter Miami club and host Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park — appeared to ask for, and receive, a Messi jersey.
A report Thursday from ESPN said Ortiz approached Messi after the final whistle and asked for a jersey. Messi obliged after entering the training room.
When The Star asked Sporting KC about the incident later Thursday, the club had this to say:
“We informed CONCACAF and Major League Soccer about the incident after the match against Inter Miami CF on Wednesday. We await further review of the matter and the action CONCACAF will take.”
Messi scored the only goal in Inter Miami’s 1-0 win in the first leg of the CONCACAF tourney.
Ortiz did not receive Messi’s match-worn jersey. According to multiple sources, that went to Sporting KC’s captain for the match, forward Erik Thommy, in an on-field exchange.
Thommy was the star for Sporting KC a year ago when the two teams met in front of 73,000 people, and in much warmer conditions, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Thommy scored twice in the game, Messi once (with an assist) as Inter Miami won 3-2.
After that match, Messi swapped jerseys with former Sporting KC striker Alan Pulido.
The notion that a player would give a jersey to an official tasked with officiating that player’s games raised some eyebrows. On Friday, CONCACAF said it has disciplined the ref for seeking Messi’s autograph — still unseemly, though the organization said he did not ask for Messi’s jersey — and offered this statement:
“CONCACAF is aware of the interaction that occurred between referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava and player Lionel Messi immediately following the final whistle of last night’s CONCACAF Champions Cup match between Sporting Kansas City and Inter Miami CF,” a CONCACAF spokesperson told ESPN in a statement. “Upon investigation, CONCACAF has learned that the referee approached the player to request an autograph for a family member with special needs.
“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.”
Inter Miami and Sporting KC will meet again in the second leg of Champions Cup play on Tuesday in Miami. The match at Chase Stadium is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Central Time.
Before then, on Saturday, both teams kick off their respective Major League Soccer seasons. Sporting KC at Austin FC, Inter Miami at home vs. NYCFC.
This story was originally published February 20, 2025 at 6:35 PM.