MLS Fines Lionel Messi After Opponent Slap

Lionel Messi, Inter Miami and Philadelphia Union
Friday

Major League Soccer has fined Lionel Messi an undisclosed amount after he struck Philadelphia Union attacker Quinn Sullivan during Inter Miami’s 2-2 draw. Messi was not cautioned during the match, but the league took retrospective disciplinary action afterward.

MLS also rescinded Philadelphia teenager Cavan Sullivan’s red-card suspension after an independent review panel unanimously overturned the decision. The Messi sanction is his second MLS fine since joining Inter Miami, following a separate post-match confrontation in February 2025.