Referee Who Asked Lionel Messi for Jersey After Match Disciplined by CONCACAF

CONCACAF has disciplined the referee who appeared to ask for Lionel Messi's jersey following Inter Miami's 1-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday night.

In a statement released on Thursday (h/t Paul Tenorio of The Athletic), CONCACAF said Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava "acknowledged his mistake, apologized for the incident, and accepted the disciplinary action CONCACAF has applied."

The governing body did not specify exactly what the punishment was for Ortiz Nava.

Per ESPN's Adriana Garcia, Ortiz Nava approached Messi on the pitch after the final whistle about securing his game-used jersey. Messi agreed and gave it to him when he was inside the changing room.

The CONCACAF statement noted Ortiz Nava approached Messi "to request an autograph for a family member with special needs."

Messi played all 90 minutes in Miami's victory over Sporting KC. He scored the game's lone goal in the 56th minute, giving Miami a victory in the first leg of the first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The match was originally scheduled to be played on Tuesday, but it was postponed due to inclement weather in the Kansas City area.

Inter Miami and Sporting KC will play the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Miami will kickoff the 2025 MLS season on Saturday against New York City FC at Chase Stadium.