Unlike other All-Star Games in North America, it’s not acceptable to decline an invitation or withdraw from an exhibition match without permission in Major League Soccer. Neither Lionel Messi nor Jordi Alba received prior approval from the MLS, as the Inter Miami stars skipped the league’s All-Star Game earlier this week in Austin, Texas.
Both stars appear to misunderstand the league’s stance, despite MLS Commissioner Don Garber reaffirming the longstanding policy. Garber emphasized that MLS must enforce its rules consistently, regardless of a player’s stature.
At 38, Messi and 36-year-old Alba have had demanding seasons, juggling MLS matches alongside the FIFA Club World Cup and other competitions. Messi didn’t exactly spend the summer resting, either, as he suited up for Argentina in a pair of international friendlies on top of an already packed club schedule.
So when MLS hit him with a one-game suspension, not everyone saw it as a principled stand. ESPN FC’s Stevie Nicol called it exactly what it looked like: a needless, self-inflicted wound for a league still trying to grow its global relevance.
“I can’t believe it. I really can’t,” the former New England Revolution manager said. “I mean, you’re talking about a guy who has taken the MLS up another level, by the mere fact that he plays in the MLS, around the globe. Before Messi, nobody could’ve cared less who played in the MLS, quite frankly. And so, to suspend the guy who’s done so much for your league, and do you think for one second that Inter Miami would’ve been in the Club World Cup if Messi wasn’t playing for Inter Miami? Not a chance.”
While Messi’s absence technically violated a league rule requiring prior approval to opt out of the All-Star Game, Nicol argued that suspending the league’s most important global ambassador over a one-off exhibition undermines the progress Messi himself has driven.
“So, again, all Messi’s done is raised the profile for the MLS,” Nicol continued. “And they’ve turned around and suspended him for a game? If I’m Messi and anybody at Inter Miami, I am not lifting a finger to help MLS again. Forget it. I’m sorry. I think it’s a joke.”
In Nicol’s view, this wasn’t some isolated misjudgment. To the retired Scottish professional football player, this was just the latest example of a league that picks and chooses when to follow its own rules.
“MLS changes the rules every day of the week to suit themselves,” said Nicol. “So, the fact that they’ve gone ahead and done this is nonsense.”
Nicol pointed out the league’s long history of bending or outright rewriting rules, whether related to Designated Players, transfer windows, or allocation mechanisms, whenever it suits a commercial or competitive agenda. In that context, he finds Garber’s explanation especially hollow.
“The other thing that annoys me is the hypocrisy that Don Garber comes out and says it’s because it’s a longstanding rule,” added Nicol. “They change rules to suit themselves, and they would do it every day of the week if they could — and they do. So don’t turn around and say, ‘This is a longstanding rule and there’s nothing we can do,’ because they do things for fun. There’s not another league in the world that changes rules to suit themselves more than MLS does.”
For a league that has spent years trying to earn global legitimacy, MLS may have just sent the message that even its brightest stars are still subject to small-time thinking. And that’s exactly why the ESPN FC commentator rightfully called it a joke.
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