Lionel Messi has been fined by Major League Soccer for a heated incident with the Philadelphia Union midfielder Quinn Sullivan during Inter Miami’s 2-2 draw with Philadelphia Union on August 19. The MLS Disciplinary Committee imposed the punishment on Friday, but did not specify how much it was.
It happened in stoppage time when tensions were already high. Messi approached Sullivan near the center circle while the ball was being played elsewhere. Messi appeared to slap Sullivan on the back of the neck head area for a moment in between.
Sullivan turned his head toward the Argentine star and there was a close face-to-face confrontation before the players pulled apart.
Though the referee intervened, neither Messi nor Sullivan received a card for the incident. The MLS disciplinary panel later reviewed the action and found Messi had violated the league’s policy on hands to an opponent’s face, head or neck. The punishment was therefore issued after the match rather than during it.
The game itself had already been chaotic. Inter Miami and Philadelphia Union split 2-2, with Messi leading the way for his side. He scored Miami’s second goal and also contributed an assist and it was his first since the death of his father, Jorge Messi.
Messi has been fined by MLS for the slap on Quinn Sullivan. 😭
— Black, White & The Grey Area (@bwgreyarea) August 22, 2026
The league handed the Inter Miami star an undisclosed fine for violating its policy on contact with an opponent’s face, head or neck during the 2-2 draw with Philadelphia.
And yes, this is Messi’s second MLS fine… pic.twitter.com/xRZdcKcE7g
The late-game tension did not end with Messi-Sullivan. Philadelphia’s Cavan Sullivan and Inter Miami midfielder Yannick Bright were sent off at the end of another stoppage-time affair. Cavan Sullivan, Quinn’s younger brother and teammate, was able to play in Philadelphia’s next match after an independent review panel overturned his red card.
Inter Miami defender Ian Fray was also fined by MLS for a separate incident involving contact with Sullivan during the same match. His punishment, like Messi’s, was an undisclosed financial penalty under the league’s rules.
And for Messi, it’s also another disciplinary moment for the MLS player. Messi, who is the all-time Ballon d’Or winner, is commonly considered calm on the field but his time in Major League Soccer has also seen him get into a few arguments. He was fined for a fight with a coach at New York City FC in 2025.
The punishment does not seem to have been a suspension so now the focus is back on Inter Miami’s MLS campaign. But the incident has already generated a lot of speculation among football fans and the video of the confrontation has been widely shared on the web.
