Footage shows a furious Lionel Messi entering an area near the referees' locker room afterInter Miami's season-opening defeat to LAFCon Saturday, Feb. 21.
The defending MLS champions fell 3-0 at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, with David Martinez, Denis Bouanga and Nathan Ordaz scoring for LAFC.
LAFC kept Messi and Co. in check for much of the game, making a major statement in its first MLS game under new manager Marc Dos Santos.
Video taken by Síntesis Deportes shows players and officials walking through the tunnel after the game. The match referees enter their locker room, with a visibly angry Messi following them.
Messi's teammate Luis Suárez attempts to restrain him but to no avail, with the Argentine legend continuing on past the camera's viewpoint.
Suárez does eventually succeed as Messi exits the referee locker room area after only a handful of seconds.
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Will Lionel Messi be suspended?
There is recent precedent for a MLS player being suspended for behavior similar to Messi's.
FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga was suspended three matches for entering the referees' locker room after his side's playoff defeat against the New York Red Bulls in November 2023.
Miazga's suspension was eventuallyreduced by one gamefollowing a successful petition.
But according to theMiami Herald,Messi is unlikely to face a suspension after a spokesperson for the Professional Referee Organization said the Argentine did not enter the referee locker room.
Inter Miami is next in action against rival Orlando City on March 1.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Lionel Messi confronts refs after Inter Miami loss at LAFC
