FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 19: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami celebrates scoring his third … More
Lionel Messi isn’t above MLS policy. That’s the message MLS Commissioner Don Garber sent earlier today after the longtime soccer executive suspended the Inter Miami CF star one match for skipping the MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday evening.
Messi, who didn’t have a reported injury, opted not to participate in the match along with fellow teammate and All-Star selection Jordi Alba. League rules require All-Star Game selections to participate in the match. Even with their absence, MLS All-Stars beat the best of Liga MX 3-1 at Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium.
The 38-year-old Messi, who joined MLS in mid-2023, and Alba will now miss the team’s regular season home match against FC Cincinnati on Saturday night at Chase Stadium. Currently, Inter Miami sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 41 points, seven points behind first-place Cincinnati. At press time, the cheapest ticket on the secondary ticketing marketplace TickPick was $50.
Meanwhile, on Friday afternoon, Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas criticized the league’s decision to suspend Messi, telling members of the media that “the punishment for the rule is, frankly, draconian.”
“The ones that get penalized [by the suspensions] are the club, the fans, sponsors, TV, Apple, etc.,” he said.
Mas added of Messi: “He’s very upset, extremely upset today, as expected. … Will it have an impact initially on the players’ perception of how the league rules work, etc.? Absolutely, no doubt.”
In his remarks, Mas also commented that he hoped the league’s decision won’t have any long-term ramifications, which could include Messi — who has contributed to the rising valuation of Inter Miami — departing MLS at the end of the 2025 season when his current contract with Inter Miami expires.
“The All-Star Game should thrive irrespective of the individual players, be it one, two, three, four or five players,” Mas said. “Obviously, Lionel Messi is Lionel Messi. He is different. He has completely changed the economics of this league, for every single club, every team, every sponsor, the league, media, etc. He’s important. But at the end of the day, Lionel Messi wants to play competitive matches.”