Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has been fined by Major League Soccer (MLS) for slapping Philadelphia Union midfielder Quinn Sullivan during Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at Subaru Park.
The incident occurred late in the match after Messi had played the ball and complained that Sullivan had elbowed him. Messi, 39, then struck Sullivan around the back of the head.
Sullivan reacted angrily, but the referee intervened before the confrontation could escalate. MLS confirmed that Messi had been fined, although the league did not disclose the amount.
Messi was involved in another significant moment earlier in the match, scoring Inter Miami’s second goal. It was his first goal since the death of his father, Jorge Messi.
The Argentina international had recently returned to Miami after travelling to Argentina for his father’s funeral. Jorge Messi, who was also his son’s agent, died aged 68 following a long illness.
In a tribute to his father, Messi suggested that he might not continue playing football for much longer.
Messi was not the only Inter Miami player punished for an incident involving Sullivan. The club’s Ian Fray was also fined after grabbing Sullivan by the neck.
That confrontation followed a tangle between the two players in the penalty area, after Sullivan lost his footing.
The match, which became increasingly heated, ended with two players being sent off in stoppage time. Inter Miami’s Yannick Bright and Cavan Sullivan, Quinn Sullivan’s brother, both received red cards.
Cavan Sullivan was initially given a one-match suspension, but that punishment has since been rescinded following a review.
The result left Inter Miami second in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind leaders Nashville.
Messi’s goal came during his return to club football after the period away in Argentina. His father’s death had added considerable personal significance to the occasion, but the match finished amid a series of disciplinary incidents involving players from both sides.
MLS has confirmed the financial penalties for Messi and Fray, while providing no details of the sums involved. The league’s review of Cavan Sullivan’s sending-off, however, led to his one-game suspension being overturned.
