MLS Chief Breaks Silence on Messi’s Suspension As All-Star Absence Sparks Drama the Morning After

MLS Chief Breaks Silence on Messi’s Suspension As All-Star Absence Sparks Drama the Morning After originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Lionel Messi and teammate Jordi Alba didn’t play in the MLS All-Star Game last night and all eyes are still on it. Chosen to lead the MLS team, both Inter Miami stars sat out the match, officially for rest, leaving fans and league officials wondering if they’ve violated MLS rules requiring All-Star participation.

What happened is Messi and Alba were officially confirmed as not playing in the All-Star Game. Inter Miami said it was because of fatigue from a grueling schedule of nine full matches in 35 days, including five MLS games and other international commitments.

Rules & Uncertainties

Under MLS rules, skipping the All-Star Game without an official injury exemption usually means a one-game suspension. Which would sideline Messi and Alba for Inter Miami’s game against FC Cincinnati this weekend. But MLS has not announced any disciplinary action yet.

Before the game, Garber said disciplinary decisions would come after the match:
“After the All-Star Game we'll see… we have rules, but we also have to manage the schedule,” he said, pointing out the heavy schedule on Messi.

Garber also accepted that Miami had unique circumstances this season: “Miami's had a schedule that is unlike any other team,” he said. “Most of our teams had a 10-day break. Miami hasn't. So we have to manage through that as a league.”

He also said Alba was out because of a knock in his last game, so maybe an injury exemption applies to him, but he left Messi's situation unclear. But Garber was clear that rules matter too:

“At the same time, we do have rules. And we have to manage that as well. So we would have loved to have Leo here and to have every player that was selected here.”

He finally admitted that the league mishandled the situation in the beginning, declaring that they should have predicted it and addressed it beforehand.

Precedent & Reaction

MLS suspended Zlatan Ibrahimović in 2018 under similar circumstances and that precedent is still relevant today. Fans and analysts are polarized: some see rest as warranted because of Messi’s age and the load on his body; others see this as a slap in the face of the league and the fans.

As far as we know there has been no suspension.. The MLS is still talking to Inter Miami. Messi’s status for Saturday’s game against FC Cincinnati is up in the air, while Alba might be exempt due to injury.

The public reaction is unfolding, with opinions strong on both sides defending the players’ right to rest and criticizing what some see as a slight to league traditions. Now we wait to see how the league handles its biggest star just days before a big game.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.