Messi fined for striking Bangladeshi-origin Quinn Sullivan during Philadelphia match
Referee Filip Dujic, who had his back turned during the incident, arrived to separate the players but did not show either of them a card.
Major League Soccer fined Inter Miami's Argentine superstar Lionel Messi an undisclosed amount yesterday (21 August) for slapping Philadelphia Union's Quinn Sullivan on the back of the neck in the clubs' 2-2 draw on Wednesday (19 August).
The league's disciplinary committee said it had levied the fine "for violating the league's policy regarding hands to the face/head/neck of an opponent", reports BSS, citing AFP.
Miami's Ian Fray was fined an undisclosed amount for the same infraction.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
It was late in stoppage time of a testy contest when Messi approached the centre circle to confront Sullivan while the ball was in play in another area of the field.
After a brief exchange, Messi took a swipe at Sullivan, who then squared up to the Argentine star in a fight-style stare-down.
Referee Filip Dujic, who had his back turned during the incident, arrived to separate the players but did not show either of them a card.
Dujic did send off Cavan Sullivan, younger brother and teammate of Quinn, and Miami's Italian midfielder Yannick Bright after their stoppage-time scuffle in Miami's penalty area.
Quinn and Cavan are of multicultural background, including Bangladesh, Germany, and the United States.
The Sullivan brothers' Bangladeshi roots come through their maternal grandmother, Sultana Alam, who was born and raised in Dhaka before she moved to the US to pursue a PhD at the University of Pennsylvania. She later worked for the United Nations.
Their maternal grandfather, Klaus Krippendorff, was born in Germany and is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
Cavan's middle name, Ayaz, reflects his maternal family's heritage.
Through their family background, both brothers are eligible to represent the US, Germany or Bangladesh in international football.
Cavan made history on 17 July 2024 when he made his MLS debut aged 14 years and 293 days, becoming the youngest player to appear in a major North American professional sports league.
