Marco Antonio Rodríguez
Encyclopedia
Marco Antonio Rodríguez Moreno (born November 10, 1973 in Mexico City
) is a Mexican
football
referee. In his homeland, he is commonly nicknamed "Chiquidrácula" (and, more recently, "Chiquimarco") due to his resemblance to a Mexican TV character of child Count Dracula
, portrayed by Carlos Espejel
. A former sports professor, he now serves as a Protestant priest
besides his activity as a referee.
In Mexico, Rodríguez is known for being a very strict referee who gives many yellow and red cards.
An international referee since 2000, Rodríguez has been selected for two FIFA
World Cups
. In the 2006
tournament in Germany
, he refereed the England vs Paraguay match and the Côte d'Ivoire vs Serbia and Montenegro match, where he sent off Cyril Domoraud
and Albert Nađ. In the 2010
tournament in South Africa
, Rodríguez was match referee for the first group match between Australia and Germany, where he contentiously gave a straight red card to Australian striker Tim Cahill
. Bastian Schweinsteiger
, whom Cahill attempted to tackle, consoled Cahill post-match, by saying he did not think it should have been a red.
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
) is a Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
referee. In his homeland, he is commonly nicknamed "Chiquidrácula" (and, more recently, "Chiquimarco") due to his resemblance to a Mexican TV character of child Count Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
, portrayed by Carlos Espejel
Carlos Espejel
Carlos Espejel Leguizano is a Mexican telenovela actor and comedian, best known for his roles as "Chiquidrácula" and "Carlinflas" .-Biography:...
. A former sports professor, he now serves as a Protestant priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
besides his activity as a referee.
In Mexico, Rodríguez is known for being a very strict referee who gives many yellow and red cards.
An international referee since 2000, Rodríguez has been selected for two FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. In the 2006
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
tournament in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, he refereed the England vs Paraguay match and the Côte d'Ivoire vs Serbia and Montenegro match, where he sent off Cyril Domoraud
Cyril Domoraud
Depri Cyrille Leandre Domoraud is a former Ivorian international footballer. He also holds French nationality and spent most of his career at Western Europe. He played at 3 of the 5 top league in UEFA: Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1....
and Albert Nađ. In the 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
tournament in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Rodríguez was match referee for the first group match between Australia and Germany, where he contentiously gave a straight red card to Australian striker Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga "Tim" Cahill is an football player of Australian nationality who plays for Everton and the Australian national football team...
. Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bastian Schweinsteiger is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bayern Munich and the German national team. A right-footed player, he is capable of playing out wide or in a more central role....
, whom Cahill attempted to tackle, consoled Cahill post-match, by saying he did not think it should have been a red.
World Cup matches officiated
| Tournament | Date | Venue | Round | Team 1 | Result | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 20062006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six... |
June 10 | Commerzbank-Arena Commerzbank-Arena The Commerzbank-Arena is a sports stadium in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. Commonly known by its original name, Waldstadion , the stadium opened in 1925. The stadium has been upgraded several times since then; the most recent remodelling was its redevelopment as a football-only stadium in preparation... , Frankfurt Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010... |
First Round | 1 – 0 | ||
| 2006 |
June 21 | Allianz Arena Allianz Arena The Allianz Arena is a football stadium in the north of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The two professional Munich football clubs FC Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 München have played their home games at Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season... , Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat... |
First Round | 3 – 2 | ||
 20102010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010... |
June 13 | Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban Durban Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism... |
First Round 2010 FIFA World Cup Group B Group B of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 12 June and ended on 22 June 2010. The group consisted of Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Republic and Greece.... |
4 – 0 | ||
| 2010 |
June 25 | Loftus Versfeld Stadium Loftus Versfeld Stadium Loftus Versfeld Stadium is a rugby and association football stadium situated in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The stadium has a capacity of 51,762 for rugby union and hosted the 2009 Currie Cup final... , Pretoria Pretoria Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is... |
First Round | 2 – 1 |