The Qatar World Cup quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands has been very controversial, especially with the calls made by Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz, who has incurred not only the wrath of Lionel Messi, but also the entire country of soccer-crazy Argentina.

During that controversial match in Qatar, there were 17 yellow cards thrown around, including several that were called on the Dutch, according to The Mirror. However, Messi and Argentina were not happy with all those yellow cards being thrown around, stating in a post-match interview that, "This match shouldn't have ended as it did."

The Paris Saint-Germaine star added that people saw what happened and noted that they were afraid coming into the match because they knew how Lahoz was.

"You can't put a referee like him for these matches," Messi added.

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez also criticized the referee, stating, "The ref gave everything to them [Netherlands]. It all turned upside down."

The goalkeeper, who plays for Aston Villa, added that Lahoz added extra time for no reason and even called the referee crazy and arrogant. He also speculated that because Spain was eliminated, Lahoz also wanted Argentina eliminated. He also called the referee "useless," hoping he will not officiate their matches again.

Controversial Spanish World Cup Referee Sent Home by FIFA

Because of the myriad of complaints that the Argentina side lodged against controversial Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz, he was sent back home and would not be returning to officiate any more matches during the Qatar World Cup.

According to The Daily Mail, he was sent back to Spain, and his actions during the match were widely criticized by both teams, including the Netherlands. The Argentina vs. Netherlands match would be the last match he officiated during the World Cup.

READ MORE: Argentina Is Traditionally a Soccer-Crazy Nation in South America Like Brazil

The extra 10 minutes the referee added was widely criticized, as the match did not have to go that route, according to the Argentinians. During the final minutes of regulation time, Lionel Messi was handed a yellow card by Lahoz, allowing the Netherlands to land that crucial tying penalty goal, forcing the game to go on a penalty shootout. Argentina still won, but they still have not forgiven the Spaniard for his officiating.

Lahoz handed out over 15 yellow cards throughout the match, including Dutch stars Denzel Dumfries and Wout Weghorst, who scored that tying goal for the Netherlands, so the Dutch side was not very fond of him either.

Fans Also Angry at Spanish Referee... for Not Giving Lionel Messi a Red Card for the Handball

The Argentina vs. Netherlands match was also controversial for the Messi handball which was largely ignored by the referees. While Lahoz went on a yellow card spree during the match, he shockingly did not hand one to Messi for the handball.

This sent many fans into a frenzy online, according to The Sun. While some fans argued Messi should have been sent off with a red card, others argued that the referees should have given him a yellow card.

The "What if?" scenario on the handball sparked a whole new online debate, with fans criticizing the Argentinians and Messi for criticizing the referee who gave Messi a free pass on his handball.

READ MORE: World Cup Anger: Netherlands Fans Are Mad Lionel Messi Wasn't Booked for Crucial Handball

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Mateu Lahoz Worst Referee in World Cup - Craig Burley | Argentina 2 -2 Netherlands