Javier Mascherano defends red card, confirms Lionel Messi out vs. D.C. United

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Inter Miami Head coach Javier Mascherano stressed to reporters Friday that he broke no rules by sitting within earshot of his team’s bench and calling video analysts after he was issued a red card during his team’s Leagues Cup quarterfinal victory at Chase Stadium over the weekend.

Mascherano spent much of his media availability going over the chaotic events that transpired on the sidelines of Miami’s 2-1 win over Mexican club Tigres on Wednesday. The 41-year-old stood unapologetically by his actions, which sparked discourse online as images of him using his cellphone in the stands went viral.

The Argentine manager was expelled before the start of the second half, after arguing with the fourth official about added time in the first half.

“There was an argument there at the end of the first half, where the referee had given four minutes of added time and six were played. I argued with the fourth referee. I didn’t insult him, but I did discuss it perhaps quite vehemently,” Mascherano said. He went straight to the locker room, where he said he heard rumblings that he may soon be disciplined by the referees.

“When I go out for the second half, I sit on the bench and the referee, he gives me the red card,” the coach said. “It was simply that. Not much more.”

After being expelled from the bench, Mascherano moved to seats one level above the club’s bench and within earshot of his team. The manager was then seen using his cellphone, speaking passionately as if he were dictating the match from the stands. On Friday, he told reporters he called the team’s video analysts.

The brief media availability also turned into a passionate back-and-forth between Mascherno and reporters. The Miami Herald reported that, even as a team official tried to end his availability, the manager waved the team member off and kept talking.

“Look, it has happened thousands of times and will continue to happen,” Mascherano said. “I abided by the rules and I did not break any rules. I couldn’t be on the bench. I wasn’t on the bench. I could have even sat in a suite, because it is part of the stands, and I did not sit in a suite. That is, it could have been next to the bench in the suite next to the owners.

“It’s not my fault how the stadium is configured. I went and sat in the stands (a level above). Now, because of the proximity, it was convenient for me to be there, yes. The team needed me there, yes. And if my players and my team need me, I will be there, and I will pay the consequences that I have to pay. No problem. But I will always be available for whatever my players need, and I felt that my players at that moment needed me to be there.”

Mascherano also said he asked Leagues Cup officials for permission before taking his place in the stands. He reasoned that, if he wasn’t supposed to sit there, officials would have ejected him.

The red card issued to Mascherano means he will be absent from the team’s Leagues Cup semifinal clash with Orlando City on Wednesday. First, the team will travel to Washington, D.C., where they resume MLS action with a regular-season match against D.C. United.

Lionel Messi, right, has a minor muscle injury in his right leg and did not travel to Washington, D.C., with Inter Miami. (Sam Navarro / Imagn Images)

Mascherano also confirmed on Friday that Messi did not travel to Washington, D.C., with Inter Miami.

Messi had been struggling with a “minor muscle injury” in his right leg he suffered during Miami’s Leagues Cup penalty shootout win over Necaxa earlier this month. Messi’s triumphant return to the pitch over the weekend briefly quelled concerns over his recovery.

The Argentine captain returned to MLS on Saturday for Miami’s 3-1 win over LA Galaxy, with the 38-year-old netting a goal and an assist after entering the match in the 46^th minute. Both the goal and assist, a back-heeled pass to Luis Suarez, quickly went viral.

Following the match, reporters on the ground asked Mascherano in postgame media availability whether the striker had reinjured himself. The coach did not confirm Messi’s status, telling reporters the club would be taking his status day to day.

“He wants to play every single game. He wanted to play in Orlando, also. It was impossible, but it’s like this. You have to understand why Leo is Leo, because (he) always wants to be on the pitch. He’s happy there,” Mascherano said on Saturday.

“So, sometimes we try to explain to him to go slowly, but at the end, when he feels good, he knows himself like no one (else). So, at the end, we try to give him today some minutes, to start to find (a) good feeling for the week, for Wednesday, for the next games.”

Messi was subsequently absent the following Wednesday for Miami’s Leagues Cup quarterfinal match against Tigres, which the MLS side won 2-1. According to reporters in Miami, the Argentine was also absent from training on Thursday.

Messi’s absence in D.C. is strategic, with Mascherano telling reporters they wanted to allow their star striker a chance to rest so he’d be available for the Leagues Cup semifinal on Wednesday. A win for the club would punch Miami’s ticket to the final on Sunday, August 31.

After the Leagues Cup, Miami’s next scheduled MLS match is on Sept. 13 against Charlotte.

(Photo: Hannah Mckay / Reuters via Imagn Images)

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