Messi and Suarez fined in MLS for grabbing an opponent by the neck: this was the infraction
Lionel Messi has been punished. The MLS has fined the Argentine after he grabbed a New York City FC assistant coach by the neck at the end of Saturday's match.
The MLS did not specify the amount of the fine for the Inter Miami star, as is usual in these cases.
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were fined by the MLS The penalty was cited as a result of “violating the League’s policy regarding hands toward the face/head/neck of an opponent at the end of Inter Miami’s match against New York City FC,” MLS said in its weekly report of decisions from its Disciplinary Committee.
"The incident occurred at the end of Inter's first match of the season, which ended in an agonizing 2-2 draw in front of its home crowd in Fort Lauderdale (neighboring Miami )," AFP reported.
Miami tied the score with a goal by Venezuelan Telasco Segovia in the 90+10 minute after an assist from Messi, who, with the game already over, angrily went to referee Alexis Da Silva to protest some decisions.
“After receiving a yellow card for his protests, Messi was walking across the pitch towards the changing rooms at Chase Stadium when Mehdi Ballouch , one of the New York City assistants, apparently made a comment to him. A video shows how Messi and the coach chatted for a few seconds,” AFP reported.
The agency notes that Messi took a few steps back towards the locker room but, in an unusual scene, returned to where Ballouchy was to place his right hand on the back of her neck and apparently squeeze it.
Ballouchy turned around startled as Messi made another gesture with his hand as he left the pitch, but that was not all.
Uruguayan Luis Suárez was also fined for violating the same rule in an action that occurred during half-time of the match.
“On the pitch it is sometimes difficult to control emotions. I think the press sometimes wants to create a circus about this (but) in every game you can argue with the referee and the opposing players,” said coach Javier Mascherano.
eltiempo
