Lionel Messi expressed his frustration after the hard defeat 0-3 of the Inter Miami against Orlando Cityharshly criticizing arbitration and demanding improvements in the Mls.
Lionel Messi was not saved after his team, Inter Miami, suffered a bluntly defeat 0-3 against Orlando City in the Florida derby, one of the most anticipated matches of the “Week of the Rivalries” of the MLS. The Argentine star, visibly annoying, pointed directly to the level of arbitration in the American league.
“Today we did a great first part, we were attacking, creating situations … but something always happens with the referees in some punctual play,” Messi said after the match. What unleashed his anger was an unusual play that resulted in Orlando City’s first goal.
Lionel Messi’s frustration
According to Messi, a rival team player gave the ball to goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, an action that should have been sanctioned as assignment. However, the referee did not consider it that way. “The referee told me that he did not know the rule, that he had not seemed that, that he did not understand it … and from there the goal came,” explained Inter Miami.
The play ended with a long serve from Gallese that dislodged to the local defense, allowing the Colombian Luis Fernando Muriel to open the score without opposition. The goal, at minute 43, marked the start of the collapse for the team led by Javier Mascherano, who added his fifth defeat in seven games.
Messi was emphatic in his criticism: “They are not excuses, but the MLS would have to look a little more the theme of the referees.” His statements reflect a growing discomfort by controversial arbitration decisions that, according to him, have repeatedly affected Inter Miami in recent days.
Despite having figures such as Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, Inter Miami is going through a worrying defensive crisis, having fit 20 goals in their last seven games, between MLS and Copa de la Concaf Champions.
Messi’s claim could generate pressure on the MLS to review the formation and level of his referees, especially in high visibility parties. For now, the truth is that the discontent of the best player in the world has lit the alarms in the American league.
