Antonio López Nieto
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.
| Full name | Antonio Jesús López Nieto | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
25 January 1958 Málaga, Spain | ||
| Other occupation | Architect | ||
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 1988-2003 | La Liga | Referee | |
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 1993-2003 | FIFA-listed | Referee | |
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, 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. 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.