Arsenal fans ‘worried for Xhaka’ as ‘Messi fanboy’ will referee crunch game

Arsenal fans are worried for Granit Xhaka after 'Lionel Messi fanboy' Antonio Mateu Lahoz was named as the referee for their Europa League clash on Thursday.

Lahoz earned the moniker as a Messi fanboy at the 2022 World Cup – when he was card happy during the clash between Argentina and the Netherlands. However, Messi avoided punishment for the majority of the game, including one deliberate handball.

And with his card-happy antics, Arsenal fans have joked that Xhaka shouldn't start the game. The Gunners will turn their attention to Europe as they clash with Sporting Lisbon, following a 2-2 draw in Portugal earlier this month.

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One fan joked: "Xhaka can't play btw Lahoz will look at him once and book him!"

"God protect Xhaka at all costs let him not look at Lahoz directly please," a second joked. While a third added: "With Mateu Lahoz as the referee, Xhaka and Arteta are on the yellow card already…"

"Xhaka shouldn’t set foot on that pitch. Lahoz will look at him once and book him twice," another added. And a fifth tweeted: "I reckon he breaks his own record of most cards given!"

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Lahoz dished out 18 yellow cards during the World Cup quarter-final – and he even sent off Denzel Dumfries after the full-time whistle.

The referee was then sent home for the remainder of the World Cup. While Messi, who was finally booked in the 110th minute, said: ""I don’t want to speak about referees because after they will sanction you. But people saw what happened.

I think FIFA must take care of this, it cannot put a referee like that for a match of such magnitude, of such importance. The referee cannot fail to be up to the task."

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