FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida, USA (AP) — Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba were suspended for one MLS match after the two Inter Miami stars skipped the league’s All-Star Game, the league announced on Friday.
Messi and Alba did not report for the exhibition featuring MLS against Mexico’s Liga MX despite having been selected through a voting process for the showcase. Messi sat out to rest amid a demanding schedule, and Alba was hampered by a prior injury.
Under MLS rules, any player who does not participate in the All-Star Game without the league’s prior approval is ineligible to compete in their club’s next match.
The pair will miss Saturday’s home game against FC Cincinnati, which sits at the top of the Eastern Conference standings.
While awaiting the league’s decision, Messi and Alba trained with the club on Friday in anticipation of Saturday’s game.
Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano spoke before the punishment was announced and voiced his opposition to holding an All-Star in the middle of the week.
“You can’t do it during the week, especially with the calendar we have. It’s crazy,” the Argentine trainer said.
“We’ve come with a schedule over the last two months; we’ve basically played every three days,” he added. “What we have to think about first is that football belongs to the players. And if football belongs to the players, without players this doesn’t exist, you don’t exist, we the coaches don’t exist, and there’s no business, nothing. So if we don’t take care of them, we’re going to be in trouble.”
The MLS commissioner, Don Garber, defended the decision.
“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,” Garber said.
“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,” he added.
Garber indicated the league would reevaluate the policy and work with players to “determine how the rule should evolve.”
