Javier Mascherano Takes Aim At MLS Following Lionel Messi Suspension

Forbes

4 hours ago

HARRISON, NJ - JULY 19: Javier Mascherano head coach of Inter Miami talks with Lionel Messi #10 of ... More Inter Miami during a hydration break during the first half of the game against the New York Red Bulls on July 19, 2025 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Javier Mascherano criticised Major League Soccer's decision to suspend Lionel Messi after Inter Miami drew 0-0 with Supporters' Shield challengers FC Cincinnati in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night.
Inter Miami were without Messi for this key matchup after the league suspended its reigning MVP for failing to show up for the MLS All-Star game last week.
Inter Miami decided that its two players called up for the game, Messi and Jordi Alba, needed a rest due to a tough competitive schedule that included games in the Club World Cup, MLS, and upcoming Leagues Cup games.
League rules state that any player missing the All-Star game without a good reason and not informing the league in advance will be suspended for the following game.
Mascherano suggested that Messi might not have been suspended were the next game an away from home, because MLS teams across the league have used Messi's presence to sell additional tickets (at higher prices) and to create a buzz around these games featuring the Argentine star.
'What would've happened if this game had been played away?' Mascherano asked after the game.
'Would there still have been calls for Messi to be suspended? Because no one complains when it is time to fill stadiums and sell tickets.'
The MLS schedule has thrown up two meetings in quick succession between these sides. The first, on July 16, was won 3-0 by FC Cincinnati as Messi was eclipsed by a challenger to his MVP crown in 2025, Evander, who scored two second-half goals.
This second meeting ended in a 0-0 draw on Saturday night. Though it was an improvement on a 3-0 defeat for Miami in Ohio, they might think that back at home with Messi involved, they would have managed a win.
Inter Miami now sits eight points off the top of the overall standings, a position currently occupied by Philadelphia Union. Miami also has three games in hand on the back of missing MLS play for the Club World Cup, so remains in a position to overtake the leader.
Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas spoke of his disappointment at MLS's decision to suspend Messi immediately after it came on Friday night.
He said it might affect the way players like Messi view the league if they are going to be suspended for an important league match on the back of missing an exhibition game.
'He's very upset, extremely upset today, as expected.' Jorge Mas said of Messi's reaction.
'I'm hopeful it doesn't have an impact long term. Will it have an impact, initially, on the players' perception of how the league rules work? Absolutely, no doubt.'
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 10: Inter Miami CF owner Jorge Mas celebrates with Lionel Messi ... More #10 of Inter Miami CF as he holds his trophy during the Ballon d'Or trophy presentation at DRV PNK Stadium on November 10, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by)
Inter Miami now goes into a run of games in the Leagues Cup—a relatively new competition involving MLS teams and teams from Mexico's Liga MX, which was expanded in recent years.
This expansion added even more fixtures to the calendar and affected MLS participation in the United States' domestic cup, the US Open Cup, from which some teams continue to withdraw at the behest of the league.
It is for this reason that Jorge Mas and Inter Miami believe their decision not to send Messi and Alba to the All-Star match was justified.
'They were coming off a run of nine games in 35 days, hard games,' Jorge Mas said in his statement on Friday.
'The last two [MLS] games were games on the road at Cincinnati and New York. We're facing a game tomorrow, and we're facing a course of 10 games over the next 34 days.
'There is a rule in MLS, which, if they miss the All-Star game, they're suspended for one game. I believe it's a bad rule, but it's a rule nonetheless. It's a bad rule, because I think it puts the players in an untenable position to have to choose between participating in an All-Star festivity, which, at the end, is an exhibition match, or choosing a game, a regular-season game, that I think matters.
'I admire both Lionel and Jordi for always thinking of the club first. Lionel and Jordi would have been faced with either missing a game in New York, which was an amazing display of football skills by our team, and by Lionel Messi, which rounds have made around the world, then participating in the All-Star game in order to be able to play against Cincinnati.
'Having to put a player in a position to have to choose—and again, the ones that get penalized are the club, the fans, sponsors, TV, Apple, etc… So I think that the punishment for the rule is, frankly, draconian.'
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 19: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami hoist the trophy with his ... More teammates after defeating the Nashville SC to win the Leagues Cup 2023 final match between Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC at GEODIS Park on August 19, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by)
Inter Miami's Leagues Cup campaign begins against Liga MX side Atlas in the league phase on Wednesday, which will be followed by games against Necaxa on Saturday and Pumas UNAM a week on Wednesday.
MLS regular season matches return on August 10 before the Leagues Cup knockout rounds begin later in the month.