Lionel Messi was fined an undisclosed amount for making contact with the head and neck area of opponent during second-half stoppage time in a 2-2 draw against Philadelphia.
Messi slapped the Union’s Quinn Sullivan on the back of the neck during a tense exchange. This was against the rules of Major League Soccer (MLS), which bars players from hitting the face, neck and head of the opponent.
The incident occurred in the 101st minute of the contest. In the videos that went from the contest on social media , looked upset with Quinn and was involved in a heated exchange. He then slapped Sullivan on the back of the head as he walked past Messi, leading to another confrontation. Union midfielder Ian Fray was also fined for hitting Sullivan on the head in a separate incident. After Sullivan lost his footing dribbling into the penalty area, he got tangled with Fray, who then grabbed his neck. Sullivan jumped up and tackled Fray.
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The match ended on a dramatic note as Miami’s Yannick Bright and Philadelphia Union teenager Cavan Sullivan were shown red cards after getting involved in a stoppage-time scuffle. However, MLS later overturned Sullivan’s red card after its Independent Review Panel unanimously ruled the decision in his favour. The decision also cancelled the one-match suspension that came with the dismissal, meaning the 16-year-old will be available for Philadelphia’s next game. Sullivan had entered the confrontation while defending his older brother, Quinn Sullivan.
Meanwhile, Messi had a decent outing in the contest and scored once and also made an assist. This was Messi’s first goal following the death of his father, Jorge Messi. Jorge passed away at the age of 68, following an undisclosed illness. The Argentina international has performed well for Miami this season, having scored 13 goals and making 8 assists across 17 games.