Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba face possible suspension for skipping MLS All-Star game
Messi and Alba had been absent from the All-Star festivities this week in Austin Texas, which culminates in Wednesday night's friendly match against an equivalent select squad from Mexico's LigaMX. Alba had been scheduled to take part in Tuesday evening's All-Star skills challenge, but was withdrawn. No explanation was given for Alba's withdrawal, and MLS has not commented publicly on Messi and Alba's absences.
The MLS All-Star game has been around since the league's inception in 1996, though it has taken multiple forms. It started as a standard East v West format used in other US leagues, but has also seen a single MLS All-Star squad play against well-known teams from around the world of soccer (Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United Real Madrid, Juventus, Roma and others have all been past opponents). In five of the past six seasons, though, the game has pitted MLS's squad against Liga MX's.
The event is considered to be a major one among MLS executives and some front offices, with it now being one of the only opportunities for representatives from every club to be in the same location since the SuperDraft ceased being held in-person and MLS Cup stopped being held at a neutral site. The league's rules contain a provision meant to encourage player participation in the event, stating that, unless they are injured, players must participate in the All-Star game or sit out their club's next match.
This year's game falls in the middle of a busy period for the league. Inter Miami has played five games already in the month of July after exiting the Club World Cup in a round of 16 loss to PSG. Some of the league re-starts play on Friday, less than two days after the All-Star game. The annual Leagues Cup competition pitting MLS teams v Liga MX starts the following week with games on Wednesday.
For Miami, Messi and Alba's absences will loom large – the club's next match is against FC Cincinnati, who now lead the league's Eastern Conference standings and who beat Miami 3-0 the last time they played. They then play Atlas in the Leagues Cup on Wednesday.
Messi and Alba's situation is not unprecedented. Zlatan Ibrahimović was suspended one game in 2018 after skipping that year's All-Star event, a decision he called 'ridiculous' in subsequent comments to reporters.
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'They do whatever they want. I come from a different world, I come from the real world,' Ibrahimović said. 'It is what it is. I respect in the end, and I'm sorry for my teammates only that I could not help them in the game … But yeah, people are interested in different things. They lose on it, and for me it doesn't matter.'
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