Sometimes being a star can have it’s downfalls. It’s rare but it happens. From the business end of things, stars bring in the money, so when you’re a soccer superstar and fans are expecting you to show up at a game, often times, the people behind the ticket sales will push you to be at that game whether you are up for it or not. On the other hand, there is also the matter of equality and sticking to a rule despite so and so’s superstardom, and in the recent case of Lionel Messi vs. the MLS, it isn’t quite clear what the point of contention really was.

The context? Well, the Argentinian superstar, World Cup champion and overall G.O.A.T was recently awarded a suspension after skipping an All Star game. Both Messi and Jordi Alba skipped the game resulting in MLS commissioner Don Garber saying, “It was a very, very difficult decision, but one I hope both [Messi] and everyone else can understand and respect. He has shown up for his club, for his teammates, for our league time and time again and I respect his decision.” However, Javier Mascherano, head coach of inter Miami, is not so understanding of it.

The following match that both Messi and alba were banned from was a game against FC Cincinnati, where Inter Miami ended up drawing 0-0. Given the last match between these two franchises resulted in a 3-0 win for Cincinnati, still the head coach thinks that Alba and Lionel Messi’s absence could have had something to do with it, “obviously the absence of Jordi and Leo could be what was missing.” Mascherano added in the post-game press conference. He also said, “The team is doing very well even without them, and we don’t have any resentment. We’ve moved past that.” He said referring to the suspensions, but ‘moved past’ is a vague term, and given what Mascherano said in the rest of the interview, it seems there is still some more moving past to be done.

When asked his feelings specifically about Lionel Messi not showing up to the All Star game, and the consequent suspension, Marscherano added, “I want to ask — what happens if today we had been visitors? If they had come? Would you have asked for Leon play to get to a stadium and do and make uh and sell tickets? Nobody complains. This one was that and that I’ll leave you with that.” With this Mascherano pointed out the fact that the MLS most likely suspended Messi to ‘uphold’ the rules because the game he would be missing was a home game in Fort Lauderdale, had the game been in Cincinnati, maybe the MLS wouldn’t have kept Messi from it, in an attempt to boost ticket sales with the star power.

The possible impact of the Lionel Messi suspension on his presence in the MLS

The idea that a player can be banned for missing an All Star game, which is more a money-making extravaganza than a part of the sporting season, is, according to Jorge Mas, co owner of Inter Miami, ‘draconiani.’ Additionally, considering many of these players are used to the way things work in the leagues in Europe, to put these new rules on them at such advanced points in their careers, is obviously not going down so well.

It didn’t go down so well with Zlatan Ibrahimovic who skipped an All Star game in 2018 when he was playing for LA Galaxy, with the player saying of the consequent suspension, “They do whatever they want. I come from a different world. This is ridiculous. I come from the real world.” Obviously, this is all to be taken with a pinch of salt, as Zlatan is an entirely different person from Lionel Messi, but could this move by the MLS have affected the way Messi will continue/or not, with the league?

Considering Lionel Messi was signed to Inter Miami as the highest paid player in the MLS and considering his contract with the franchise expires at the end of the year, and on top of that considering that ever since Messi joined the MLS revenue has nearly doubled, then maybe upsetting him with this suspension lacked some foresight, from simply a business standpoint. However, it looks like Inter Miami themselves are looking to cheer Messi up by adding Rodrigo De Paul to the team on loan from Athletico Madrid. Perhaps Messi’s Argentinian teammate will appease him and make him stay longer?

Perhaps…