Antonio López Nieto Explained

Antonio López Nieto
Fullname:Antonio Jesús López Nieto
Birth Date:25 January 1958
Birth Place:Málaga, Spain
Otheroccupation:Architect
Role1:Referee
League1:La Liga
Years1:1988-2003
Internationalyears1:1993-2003
Confederation1:FIFA-listed
Internationalrole1:Referee

Antonio Jesús López Nieto (born 25 January 1958 in Málaga, Andalusia) is a former Spanish football referee, who officiated at one FIFA World Cup and during the UEFA Champions League.

In 1995, López accused representatives of Dynamo Kyiv of attempting to bribe him before a UEFA Champions League game against Panathinaikos of Greece, a charge Dynamo Kyiv continue to deny. As a result of this accusation, UEFA banned Dynamo from competitions for two years,[1] a sanction that was later overturned.

He has refereed in three UEFA Cup finals, in 1995 (first leg), 1998 and 2000. López set a record at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, issuing 14 yellow cards and 2 red cards in a match between Germany and Cameroon.[2] This record was then broken in the 2006 tournament by Valentin Ivanov during the match between Portugal and Netherlands, who issued 16 yellow cards and 4 red cards.

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Notes and References

  1. News: Dynamo Kiev Banned from European Play . . . 21 September 1995 . 19 June 2006.
  2. News: Germany overcome Cameroon . . 11 June 2002 . 19 June 2006.