Lionel Messi was fined for slapping an opponent during Inter Miami’s 2-2 Major League Soccer draw at Philadelphia Union on Wednesday, 19 August 2026, the league confirmed on Friday, 21 August 2026.
The fine was issued under the league’s policy on hands to the face, head or neck of an opponent, as reported by BBC.
Messi, 39, struck Philadelphia Union’s Quinn Sullivan in the 101st minute, deep into second-half stoppage time at Subaru Park.
How Messi was fined for slapping an opponent
The incident followed a passage of play in which Messi complained that Sullivan had elbowed him. Moments later, the Argentine delivered an open-handed slap to the back of the Philadelphia player’s head, drawing an immediate reaction from Sullivan and from those closest to the two men.
Sullivan reacted angrily, moving his face close to Messi’s before the two were separated.
The referee stepped in quickly and the confrontation did not escalate, though it was not the only flashpoint that Major League Soccer went on to punish from the same match.
What else the referee had to manage before the final whistle
Miami’s Ian Fray was fined separately for grabbing Sullivan’s neck. The two players had become tangled when Sullivan lost his footing inside the box, and the exchange that followed added to a late period in which the referee was repeatedly required to intervene.
Stoppage time also produced two red cards. Miami’s Yannick Bright and Philadelphia’s Cavan Sullivan, the brother of Quinn Sullivan, were both sent off. Cavan Sullivan’s one-match suspension was later rescinded on review, meaning the dismissal carried no sanction beyond the match itself.
The goal Messi scored before the slapping incident
Messi had scored Miami’s second goal earlier in the same match, his first since the death of his father and long-time agent, Jorge Messi, who died at the age of 68 after a long illness.
In tribute, Messi suggested afterwards that he may not continue playing football for much longer.
Where the Messi fine for slapping an opponent left Miami
Two days separated the match and the sanction. Major League Soccer confirmed both fines on Friday, 21 August 2026, after reviewing a passage of play that the referee had managed on the pitch without sending off either player.
The fine carried no suspension, and the league did not disclose the amount. Messi remained available for selection, and no further disciplinary action arising from the incident was outstanding against him once the punishment was issued.
Inter Miami sat second in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind leaders Nashville, when the fine was announced. Closing that gap, rather than the fallout from a slap in stoppage time, set the terms of the club’s remaining run at the play-offs.
