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Lionel Messi has been cleared of any potential breach of Major League Soccer (MLS) regulations following an incident captured on video after Inter Miami’s 3-0 defeat against Los Angeles FC on Saturday.
Over the weekend, a video emerged on social media showing the renowned soccer icon, 38, seemingly pursuing the referees towards their locker room at the LA Memorial Coliseum immediately after the game concluded.
The surprising footage depicted Messi trailing the officials through a doorway, with teammate Luis Suárez appearing to try and hold him back.
In the video, Messi briefly disappears into the doorway before re-emerging moments later and returning to his team’s locker room.
After reviewing the footage, MLS concluded that Messi did not enter any unauthorized areas nor did he access the referees’ locker room.
The findings were also confirmed by the Professional Referee Organization.
In a statement to The Athletic, the Professional Referee Organization director of communications, Chris Rivet, said, “After speaking with the match officials, we can confirm Lionel Messi did not enter the officials’ locker room.”
Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano told reporters after the match that he had not been aware of any issues that Messi had with the officiating.
“No, no, no, I didn’t see anything. The truth is that the match finished and then I went into the locker room,” he said, according to ESPN.
Messi has faced disciplinary action from the league in the past, including an instance against New York City FC last season, when he was fined “for violating the hands to the face/head/neck of an opponent policy.”
The Inter Miami superstar had also been suspended for one game after he skipped the MLS All-Star Game.
Messi was “extremely upset” over the suspension, Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas told reporters at the time, and labeled the decision by MLS “draconian.”