According to the Daily Mail, Messi faces a fine at the American Professional League (MLS) for violating the code of conduct with the press.
Lionel Messi has just made an impressive debut for the American Professional Award (MLS). After entering the field in the second half of the match against New York RB, the No. 10 superstar contributed a goal, setting a 2-0 victory for Inter Miami.
Messi faces a fine for repeatedly refusing to answer the media (Image: Getty).
This victory helps David Beckham’s team temporarily escape the last position on the MLS Eastern standings. They are only 11 points behind the 9th place team (playing in the championship play-off round) Chicago Fire, but they have played two fewer games.
However, after a successful debut in the MLS, Lionel Messi refused to answer the media. This violates the rules of the tournament. MLS executive vice president Dan Courtemanche said all players (including Messi) are required to fulfill their media obligations if required.
Inter Miami and Messi face penalties for breaking the rules. The Daily Mail has contacted Inter Miami but has not received a response.
Some teams try to circumvent the league’s media access policy by sending select players out for interviews or press conferences. It is worth mentioning that Messi also failed to fulfill his media obligations after the Leagues Cup final against Nashville. So far, the Argentine superstar has only attended one press conference, through an interpreter.
Messi has only attended a press conference once since joining Inter Miami (Image: Getty).
In the past period, Inter Miami made money because of the great attraction of Messi. They sold a record number of tickets. The stadium was filled with spectators in every game. Even, the ticket price of the match between Inter Miami and New York RB was recently pushed to more than 20,000 USD.
However, Messi is really exhausted in recent times. Within 36 days, this player played 9 matches, for a total of nearly 800 minutes. In the near future, Inter Miami will have to get used to life without Messi (at least 3 matches) in the context that this player returns to focus on the Argentina team in September and October.