Suspicions of Messi's invasion of the referee's office 'complete defeat by Son Heung-min → to the extreme' and official stance of MLS in the U.S. "There is no disciplinary action, because..."

*This content was translated by AI.

Lionel Messi (39, Inter Miami)'s alleged intrusion into the referee's room, which erupted shortly after the Los Angeles FC (LAFC) and the opening game was found to be groundless. The U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) secretariat officially confirmed that Messi did not violate league regulations through an investigation.

ESPN, a sports media outlet, reported on the 23rd (Korea Standard Time) that "the MLS Secretariat reviewed allegations that Messi broke into the referee's locker room after the match between LAFC and Inter Miami held at LA Memorial Coliseum on Saturday and announced that no policy violations were found."

As a result, the case was closed with happening. Messi does not go through disciplinary procedures because he is not referred to the MLS reward and punishment committee.

The controversy began when a video spread on social networking services (SNS) that appeared to Messi entering the referee's area immediately after the end of the game. At the time, local media reported that Messi was outraged by the 0-3 complete defeat and the referee's decision and chased him to the referee's office, and Luis Suarez barely stopped him to calm the situation. In particular, the possibility of disciplinary action was raised as a series of testimony showed that Messi was seen heading to the locker room from the entrance of the referee's office.

However, a detailed investigation by MLS found this to be a misunderstanding. MLS said, "The passage that Messi passed in the video is not a limited area. The door he entered was also not the referee's locker room, he stressed. Chris Rivett, communication director of the Pro Trial Organization (PRO), also said through "ESPN," "After talking with the referees, we confirmed that Messi did not enter the referee's area."

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano also denied Messi's unexpected behavior. Asked at a post-match press conference if Messi was dissatisfied with the decision and was angry, Mascherano said, "I didn't see it at all. I just went straight into the locker room after the game," he said, dismissing the controversy.

The opening match of the MLS drew attention as Son Heung-min (34) and Messi faced off. The result was a complete victory for Son Heung-min.

LAFC, which includes Son Heung-min, scored a joint first goal in the 38th minute of the first half, followed by Dennis Buanga and Nathan Ordas' consecutive goals to beat Inter Miami 3-0.

Son Heung-min was very active, including giving assist to the first goal, but Messi lost his pride by being silent, with all four shots not leading to effective shots.

Apart from the disappointment of the defeat, Messi, who has escaped the disciplinary crisis, will try again to win the season's Masugar in an away game against Orlando City at Inter & Co Stadium on March 2.

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*This content was translated by AI.