Lionel Messi fined for slapping player
By BBC, August 22, 2026Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi has been fined for slapping Philadelphia Union’s Quinn Sullivan during their side’s Major League Soccer (MLS) 2-2 draw on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
Messi, 39, slapped Sullivan around the back of the head towards the end of the game as he complained the Union player had elbowed him after he played the ball.
Sullivan reacted angerily to the slap, but the referee quickly intervened.
Fine amount not revealed
The MLS confirmed Messi had been fined, but did not reveal the amount.
Messi scored Miami’s second goal at Subaru Park, finding the back of the net for the first time since his father Jorge Messi passed away on Friday, August 7, 2026.
The Argentina international was not the only one to clash with Sullivan, as Miami’s Ian Fray was also fined by the MLS.
Fray grabbed the neck of Sullivan after both players got tangled up with one another when Sullivan lost his footing in the box.
A bad-tempered game ended with two red cards as Miami’s Yannick Bright and Sullivan’s brother Cavan were both sent off in stoppage time.
Messi”s struggles
Cavan’s one-game suspension, however, has now been rescinded after review.
The penalty slapped on Messi compounds a period of on-pitch struggles the Argentine has endured recently.
On Saturday, August 15, 2026, while marking his return to action following a personal period of grieving after the passing of his father, Jorge, Messi endured a frustrating and emotional night as Inter Miami CF suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat against Nashville SC.
He missed a penalty en route to the huge defeat, fluffing his lines from the spot after Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schwake guessed correctly and parried the shot away.
The spot-kick was his third consecutive penalty missed across all competitions for the club and country. His recent struggles from twelve yards mirror a surprising trend that began during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he missed penalties against both Austria in the group stage and Egypt during the knockout rounds.
The struggle also extended his dimal penalty record from the 2026 World Cup, where he became the first player in the tournament’s history to miss two non-shootout penalties in a single edition.