Lionel Messi fined for grabbing neck of NYCFC assistant coach

Inter Miami CF players Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have been fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Soccer for violating the "hands to the face/head/neck of an opponent" rule during the team's season-opening MLS match against New York City FC on Saturday, the league announced Tuesday.

Following the final whistle, Messi made contact with NYCFC assistant Mehdi Ballouchy by grabbing the back of his neck. The assistant coach clenched his shoulders, but he did not retaliate against the player before Messi exited the field and headed to the locker room.

When asked about the discussion between Messi and Ballouchy, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano referred to the situation as a matter of the pitch.

"I don't have too many things to say. It's difficult when you are on the pitch," Mascherano said Monday. "And sometimes you think that things are not going the right way because sometimes you can see some mistakes from the referee. But at the end, in football, to understand the players and the emotions of the player, you have to be inside on the pitch, and [trying] to see from afar, it's difficult.

"It's difficult sometimes to control the emotions. I think the press sometimes want to create a circus about it. And that happens in every game that you can discuss with the referee, with some opposing players. It's like this. It's important, what we say in Argentina, what we say, the things that happen in the pitch stay in the pitch. And we forget, we are looking forward to the next game."

In Suarez's case, the forward was fined for touching NYCFC player Birk Risa on the back of the neck during a heated argument just seconds after the referee signaled for half-time. The two players engaged in an intense discussion before NYCFC's Strahinja Tanasijević stepped in between Risa and Suarez.

Suarez and Messi will continue to be available for Inter Miami as the team faces Houston Dynamo FC on the second matchday of the 2025 MLS season.

Before traveling to Texas, the Herons will host Sporting Kansas City in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup first-round clash Tuesday night. Inter Miami lead the series 1-0 after defeating SKC at Children's Mercy Park with a goal from Messi in frigid conditions last week.