Antonio López Nieto

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is López and the second or maternal family name is 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.

Antonio López Nieto

Full name	Antonio Jesús López Nieto
Born	(1958-01-25) 25 January 1958 (age 67) 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,^[1] 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.^[2] 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.