Referee Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava has been disciplined for asking Lionel Messi for an autograph after Inter Miami CF's win over Sporting Kansas City in the Concacaf Champions Cup on Wednesday night.

After the match, Ortiz Nava approached Messi, appearing to ask for his jersey as a souvenir. However, it was later explained that he actually requested an autograph for a family member with special needs. Despite this, his actions violated Concacaf’s rules for match officials.

"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."

Sporting Kansas City added that the team informed Concacaf and MLS about the situation.

"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," the team said.

Concacaf has not revealed what punishment the referee will face.

Inter Miami won 1-0 against Sporting KC in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup first round on Wednesday, with Messi scoring in the second half.

The match was originally delayed by a day due to a winter storm warning predicting heavy snowfall in Kansas City. Although no snow fell on Wednesday, players had to compete in extremely cold weather. Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano described the conditions as "not human."

Inter Miami will play Sporting KC again at Chase Stadium on February 25 for the second leg of the series.