Why the Inter Miami superstar could be punished for neck-grabbing incident

Lionel Messi hit the headlines again over the weekend – but not all of them were positive – following Inter Miami’s 2-2 draw with New York City.

Messi played a key role in Miami snatching a last-gasp draw, his threaded through ball enabling Telasco Segovia to equalise in a pulsating 2-2 draw.

The Argentina superstar had earlier assisted Miami’s opener through Toto Aviles.

Aviles was then sent-off and New York took full advantage with goals from Mitja Ilenic and Alonso Martinez and they looked to be heading for an impressive win on the opening weekend of the new MLS season until Segovia’s late intervention.

So why did Messi receive criticism?

It is not often Messi gets animated but he was clearly furious with the performance of referee Rosendo Mendoza.

Miami were unhappy not just with Aviles’ red card but also the official’s failure to dismiss New York’s Strahinja Tanasijević just before half-time.

Messi persistently berated Mendoza at the final whistle, aggressively pursuing him and pointing in his face before being shown the yellow card.

Clash with Ballouchy

Messi was not done and, while walking towards the touchline, became embroiled in a chat with New York assistant coach Mehdi Ballouchy.

It seemed fairly amiable at the outset but having initially walked away, Messi then turned round and squeezed the back of Ballouchy’s neck and seemingly gestured for the pair to meet up inside.

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The real side of the ‘humble Lionel Messi.’

Kept disrespecting the referee until he got booked and then went on to grab their assistant coach by the neck.

Embarrassing behaviour. Man child.pic.twitter.com/6LYG6REpAx

— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) February 23, 2025

What happens now?

The MLS disciplinary committee reviews every game as a matter of course.

The committee is comprised of a former MLS referee, a former MLS coach and three former MLS players.

If Messi’s behaviour does not fall under the parameters of the committee, the league can still hand down a sanction.

What could Messi be charged with?

It is unlikely his berating of the match official will be reviewed as it was dealt with by Mendoza at the time.

However, the clash with Ballouchy was not.

MLS guidelines include a rule that states ‘individuals witnessed to have contacted the face, head, and/or neck of an opponent, which incites or escalates an individual incident (as determined by the Disciplinary Committee) will receive a minimum of a fine.’

If the committee deem a fine not to be sufficient, they could ban him for one or more games.

What did Miami boss Mascherano say?

Javier Mascherano refused to discuss Messi’s conduct directly but made his dissatisfaction with Mendoza’s display quite clear.

He said: “We can’t control how the referee may decide to officiate, and I don’t like to give an opinion because one day they favour you, another day they don’t. That’s just the way it is. 

“And I don’t believe in bad intentions, far from it. They have the right to make mistakes like we all make mistakes.”

Mascherano did single out his former Argentina colleague for praise, though, adding: “Messi is the soul of this team. You saw this on the pitch. He is a kid playing and he doesn’t want to lose. 

“So for us it’s a big, big advantage. So we just need to keep him with this spirit. Because it’s not just what he does on the pitch.

“It’s what he translates to his teammates and all that he does with his 37 years. He’s not just playing in attack, he helps us in defence, running the centre-back, running the whole midfield. So he’s magnificent.”

What next for Miami and Messi?

Miami return to action on Tuesday night when they face Sporting Kansas City in the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup first-round tie.

Messi scored the only goal in the first game last week after the fixture was delayed by 24 hours due to cold weather.