(Dan Tree) – According to the Daily Mail, Messi faces a fine in the American Professional League (MLS) for violating the press code of conduct.
Lionel Messi has just made his impressive debut at the American Professional Awards (MLS). Entering the pitch in the second half against the New York RB, the No. 10 superstar scored a goal to give Inter Miami a 2-0 win.
Messi faces a fine for repeatedly refusing to respond to the media (Image: Getty).
This victory helps David Beckham’s team to temporarily leave the last position in the MLS Eastern standings. They are only 11 points away from the 9th-place (playoff round championship) Chicago Fire team, but played two games less.
However, after a successful debut in 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) have an obligation to fulfill their obligations to the media if required.
Inter Miami and Messi face fines for violating the rules. The Daily Mail contacted Inter Miami but received no response.
Some teams try to circumvent the league’s media access policy by sending selected players to interviews or press conferences. It is worth noting that Messi also failed to fulfill his media obligations after the League Cup final against Nashville. So far, the Argentine superstar has attended only 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 thanks to the huge appeal of Messi. A record number of tickets were sold. The stadium was filled with spectators at every game. Even the price of a ticket for a match between Inter Miami and New York RB was recently increased to over $20,000.
However, Messi has been really tired lately. In 36 days, this player played 9 matches with a total duration of almost 800 minutes. Inter Miami will soon have to get used to life without Messi (minimum 3 matches) in the context of the fact that this player will return to the Argentina national team in September and October.