Lionel Messi has been fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Soccer (MLS) for grabbing the neck of New York City FC assistant coach Mehdi Ballouchy after Inter Miami’s season-opening match on February 22. The incident occurred as Messi left the field following a heated 2-2 draw, during which he had already received a yellow card for arguing with the referee. Messi approached Ballouchy, placed his hand on the back of his neck, and briefly squeezed before walking away. The MLS Disciplinary Committee deemed this a violation of its “hands to the face/head/neck of an opponent” policy.
Messi’s teammate Luis Suárez was also fined for a similar act during the same game, where he grabbed NYCFC defender Birk Risa by the neck at halftime. Despite these controversies, both players contributed significantly to Inter Miami’s subsequent 3-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City in the Concacaf Champions Cup, with Messi and Suárez each scoring.
Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano defended Messi, attributing the incident to emotions running high during intense matches, and urged for understanding of players’ perspectives on the field. Both Messi and Suárez remain eligible to play in future matches despite their fines