Lionel Messi Issues Demand To MLS After Inter Miami Loss
Inter Miami CF only has one win in its past seven games following a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Florida rival Orlando City SC on "Sunday Night Soccer" during MLS Rivalry Week.
Pressure was already mounting on captain Lionel Messi and head coach Javier Mascherano to turn things around before the match against Orlando, but the Herons' funk only worsened on Sunday. Inter Miami has now conceded at least three goals in five of its last six matches in all competitions.
Advertisement
After the game, Messi did a rare postgame interview. The international soccer star used the platform to issue a demand to MLS about another dynamic causing frustration amid the Herons' poor form: the officials.
Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) reacts against Orlando City during the first half at Chase Stadium.Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The Argentina forward spoke with Apple TV's Michele Giannone on the Spanish-language broadcast airing via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
It is worth noting that as the face of the league since his arrival in July 2023, the Inter Miami star reportedly has contract incentives tied to the success of the streaming service.
"There's always something going on with the referees, some isolated plays," Messi said in Spanish, as translated and shared by USA Today writer Safid Deen on X.
Advertisement
"I think MLS needs to look a little more closely at the referees,' demanded Messi, 37.
MLS' Spanish-language account originally posted a 1:56 video of Messi's interview on X, but it was deleted and a shorter version was reposted to remove his comments about the officials.
Messi received a yellow card for showing "poor sportsmanship" toward the referee in the 75th minute of the loss to Orlando.
Following Inter Miami's 3-3 draw on Wednesday, he had to be held back by San Jose Earthquakes coach Bruce Arena while going at the referee after the final whistle.
MLS has a policy that prohibits public criticism of officials or other league members, which can result in fines. Former Inter Miami manager Phil Neville was fined in 2021 for claiming that the team is officiated differently from MLS opponents.
Advertisement
Related: Lionel Messi's Behavior Toward Inter Miami Fan Draws Strong Reaction
Related: Argentina Makes Lionel Messi Announcement Amid Inter Miami Conflict
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
13 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Supreme Court to hear private prison company appeal in suit over immigration detainee $1-a-day wages
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear an appeal from a private prison company facing a lawsuit claiming immigration detainees were forced to work and paid a $1 a day in Colorado. The GEO Group appealed to the high court after a judge refused to toss out the 2014 lawsuit saying the detainees had to perform both unpaid janitorial work and other jobs for little pay to supplement meager meals. The company says the lawsuits are really a back door way to push back against federal immigration policy, and its pay rates are in line with Immigration and Customs Enforcement regulations. They say the migrants can't sue because it's running Aurora, Colorado, facility on behalf of the government, which is immune from such lawsuits. Attorneys for the migrants say the lawsuit is only about people being paid 'almost nothing' for their work, and the contract didn't require them to pay so little. A lower court judge allowed the lawsuit to go forward and the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals found it couldn't review the immunity claim before trial. The GEO Group argued to the Supreme Court that government contractors should be able to argue that issue on appeal quickly. The Florida-based GEO Group is one of the top private detention providers in the country, with management or ownership of about 77,000 beds at 98 facilities. Its contracts include a new federal immigration detention center where Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at a protest in May. Similar lawsuits have been brought on behalf of immigration detainees elsewhere, including a Washington state case where the company was ordered to pay more than $23 million. ___ Associated Press writer Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed reporting.
Forbes
13 minutes ago
- Forbes
Who's The Next Phillies Prospect To Get The Call? Maybe Justin Crawford
Justin Crawford could be the Phillies' next call-up from the minots. (Photo by Mike Carlson/MLB ... More Photos via Getty Images) It looks like the Phillies are ready to dig into their farm system after calling up pitching prospects, Mick Abel and Seth Johnson, on Sunday. Abel, who aced his audition on May 18 with six-shutout innings against the Pirates in a spot start, will get slotted into the rotation while Johnson could get high-leverage innings for a depleted bullpen that's gasping after losing Jose Alvarado to an 80-game PED suspension. So who will be the next Phillies prospect to get the call? How about Justin Crawford? The 21-year-old kid is peaking right now. In his last 21 games, Crawford is hitting .363 with 11 stolen bases. And overall against advanced pitching at Triple-A this season, he boasts a .338 average with 20 swiped bags while playing supreme defense in the outfield. Check out this sliding beaut: Crawford's skeptics, however, will point to an elevated ground-ball rate (63.8%) and his next-to-nil power (only one home run) as reasons to leave him in the minors. But Crawford, a former first-round pick in 2022, is hardly the second-coming of slap-hitting Juan Pierre. His line-drive rate at 22.7% is the highest of his minor-league career, and his max-exit velocity (110.7 mph) tops that of Phillies centerfielder Brandon Marsh (108.2 mph) for the season. In 2025, another facet to Crawford's game is evolving: his patience at the plate. He's walking 10.7% of the time, up from 6.1% against Double-A pitching last year, boosting his on-base percentage to an elite level at .407. Yes, it's a simple equation: Crawford's superior on-base skills + his blazing speed = immense value for the Phillies. Especially considering that Phils' outfielders are providing so little offense. There is a blockade to Crawford's promotion: The team has not one but two centerfielders in the Marsh-Johan Rojas platoon. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski must know neither Marsh nor Rojas is the answer in center and that Crawford could eliminate the need for a CF platoon if his unbelievable splits carry over to the big leagues. The left-handed-hitting Crawford is batting .306 against right-handers and .455 against lefties this season. And the kid uses all fields; check out this opposite-field flare: For the immediate future, it seems that only an injury to an outfielder would initiate Crawford's call-up. Or they could possibly demote reserve OF Weston Wilson to clear space for Crawford, but that probably won't happen because Wilson is one of the few right-handed hitters on the bench. But the Phillies are skidding, losing four in a row. And Dombrowski may figure out a way to get Crawford on the big club. When Phils called up Abel and Johnson, it's obvious the team wants to infuse the pitching ranks with some youth. And if they're looking to do the same with the lineup, it's easy to see the next move: Call up Crawford to provide a spark.
Fox News
14 minutes ago
- Fox News
Erika Donalds: The Trump Administration Has To Make An Example Out Of California Over Title IX Compliance
America First Policy Institute's Center for Education Opportunity chair Erika Donalds joins Fox Across America With Jimmy Failla to explain why she believes the Trump administration ultimately must take legal action against California over the state's apparent Title IX violation regarding transgender athletes. Erika Donalds On The Problems With Teachers Unions PLUS, check out the podcast to hear Monday's full show!
