INTER MIAMI
Who is the referee for Inter Miami’s preseason friendly with El Salvador?
Salvadoran Iván Bartón has reportedly been handed this week’s friendly, which will be Inter Miami’s warm-up fixture for the 2024 MLS season.
Referee Iván Bartón will take charge of this week’s friendly between El Salvador and Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, according to the Salvadoran media.
Inter Miami kick off preparations for MLS campaign
Ahead of the 2024 MLS season, which begins in late February, Miami kick off their preseason fixtures by taking on the Salvadoran national team in the country’s capital, San Salvador, at 8pm ET on Friday.
The game, which will be El Salvador’s first since appointing Spanish head coach David Dóniga, is set to see Miami’s big-name new signing, veteran striker Luis Suárez, enjoy his first run-out for the Herons.
The Salvadoran newspaper La Prensa Gráfica has reported that referee Bartón, who is from El Salvador, has been chosen to oversee the clash at the Estadio Cuscatlán.
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Bartón the first to book Messi post-MLS move
Bartón, 32, is an official who has shared the field with Messi before. Notably, he showed the Argentinian his first yellow card as a Miami player, cautioning the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner in a Leagues Cup match against Orlando City in August.
Indeed, Bartón was later criticised for only booking Messi once in an eventful Florida derby at DRV PNK Stadium.
Speaking post-match, Orlando head coach Óscar Pareja said: “There were a couple of fouls by Leo that deserved a second yellow card. I don’t care if it’s him - he should be measured by the same yardstick. Things should be fair, and what happened out on the pitch wasn’t.”
Hondurans hit out at Bartón after Mexico loss
Bartón’s refereeing also courted controversy in November, when the Honduras national team were angered by his decision to play 12 minutes of time added on at the end of their CONCACAF Nations League defeat away to Mexico.
The Mexicans won on penalties after levelling the tie in the 101st minute of normal time, leading the Honduran Football Federation’s president to state his intention to explore legal action against the Salvadoran.
“We were the victims of the match going to extra time and penalties,” Jorge Salomón told Honduran newspaper El Heraldo. “We’re going to assess what we can do in legal terms. The refereeing didn’t just go in favour of the home team, it was if they’d been told what to do.”
Who will Bartón’s assistants be on Friday?
Per La Prensa Gráfica, Bartón’s team of officials for El Salvador vs Inter Miami will also be made up of Salvadorans Jonathan Morán, Francisco Zumba and Ismael Cornejo.