Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba will not be present for Inter Miami’s next game in Major League Soccer because the duo sat out the MLS All-Star Game. Both Messi and Alba were voted by fans to play in the exhibition game, but did not turn out. While Messi’s decision not to play was chalked up to a packed schedule, Alba was reportedly healing from a previous injury.
Messi and Alba will miss their club’s home match on Saturday against FC Cincinnati, which sits atop the Eastern Conference standings. In fact, both players trained with the team with an eye on the game against Cincinnati. This was before the MLS announced that both players would be suspended. MLS Commissioner Don Garber called the decision a difficult one, but one that had to be enforced.
MLS rules dictate that players who do not play in the MLS All Star Game without explicit permission from the league will face a one-game suspension.
Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas had questioned the rule and told media in USA that it was the club which made the decision for Messi and Alba to sit out of the All-Star Game. He called the ruling a “draconian” punishment.
“They (Messi and Alba) don’t understand the decision. They don’t understand why not attending an exhibition match leads directly to a suspension,” Mas said on Friday before pointing out that no less than six MLS games were scheduled on Friday night less than 48 hours after an All-Star Game.
Mas said Inter Miami expressed its disagreement over the suspension and the rule. Mas also noted there were .
“That’s not right,” Mas said. “That’s not right to the players.”
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“I know Lionel Messi loves this league. I don’t think there’s a player — or anyone — who has done more for Major League Soccer than Messi. I fully understand, respect, and admire his commitment to Inter Miami, and I respect his decision. Unfortunately, we have a long-standing policy regarding participation in the All-Star Game, and we had to enforce it. It was a very difficult decision,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber.
Garber added that the league will re-evaluate the policy and work with players to “determine how the rule should evolve.”
(With inputs from AP)
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