Messi getting told off for timewasting in UEFA's refs documentary

On 16th November, UEFA will air 'Man in the Middle' for the first time, a documentary dedicated to European referees. In it you can see how the referees officiate the games, the pressure they are under and even how it affects their families.

This Thursday, UEFA broadcasted a snippet of the first part of the documentary and you can see interesting images such as Bjorn Kuipers arguing with Leo Messi in the Barcelona v Liverpool semi-final first leg of the 2018-19 Champìons League.

In fact, the extract starts with images of Kuipers rebuking the Argentine for wasting time in the closing stages. "Messi! Come on! Hurry up, show me some respect. You're always doing it! Go on now," the Dutchman shouts.

There is also an interesting comment from one of the officials. "We are not here to be popular. We are here to make decisions and sometimes those decisions are unpopular," one of the referees says.

You can also see Cuneyt Cakir disallowing a Man City goal versus Tottenham because of an Aguero offside. That goal would have seen Man City qualify for the semi-finals. 

UEFA says that other referees in the documentary include Daniele Orsato, who refereed in the past Champions League final, Danny Makkelie, in charge of the Europa League final and Spanish officials Carlos del Cerro Grande and Antonio Mateu Lahoz.

"This is a very important documentary for UEFA and our family of referees. It highlights the professionalism, motivation and dedication of some of Europe’s best officials, as well as showing the human beings behind the figures seen by players and supporters on the pitch," Roberto Rosetti, head of referees for UEFA explains.