Miami, USA – The American Football League (MFL) has fined Argentine Lionel Messi, captain of Inter Miami, for an incident that occurred during his team’s recent match against Philadelphia Union.
The league’s disciplinary committee explained that the fine came as a result of Messi violating the league’s policy regarding touching the face, head, or neck of an opponent, during the 101st minute of the match between the two teams on August 19.
The American league did not disclose the value of the fine, while the referee did not show a yellow card or call a foul against Messi in the incident.
According to The Athletic, this is the second time Messi has been fined by Major League Soccer since his move to Inter Miami in 2023.
The first fine came in 2025, after the Argentine star grabbed Mehdi Balushi, the assistant coach of New York City FC, by the neck.
Inter Miami is second in the Eastern Conference standings after 20 games, while Messi has scored 13 goals this season, placing him second in the top scorers list behind Croatian Petar Musa, the Dallas striker, who has 16 goals. He has also made 8 assists.
