Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano said he abided by Leagues Cup rules when sitting in the VIP seats above the club bench and using his cell phone to call the video analyst team after getting a red card in the quarterfinal match vs. Tigres UANL at Chase Stadium.
Inter Miami defeated Tigres 2-1 in the 2025 Leagues Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday, winning without Lionel Messi, who was nursing a hamstring injury. They now advance to the tournament semifinal against Orlando City on Aug. 27.
They also played the second half without Mascherano, who was expelled from the game before the start of the second 45 after arguing with the fourth official about the additional minutes played at the end of the first half.
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The Leagues Cup announced on Friday a one-match suspension for Mascherano. According to the Disciplinary Committee, the red card was issued “for using offensive, insulting or abusive language towards the referees.”
“There was an argument there at the end of the first half, where the referee had given four minutes of added time, and six minutes were played. We argued with the fourth official. I didn’t insult him, but I did argue quite vehemently,” Mascherano said on Friday.
“When I came out for the second half, I went to sit on the bench, the referee came and gave me the red card.”
The coach then went to the VIP seats one level above the club bench, where he spent the rest of the match.
“I abided by the rules and didn’t 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’s part of the stands, and I didn’t sit in a suite, meaning, I could have been next to the bench, in the suite next to the owners. I could have sat because it’s part of, let’s say, it’s not my fault how the stadium is configured,” Mascherano said.
A Leagues Cup representative reiterated that Mascherano did not break any rules by sitting in the stands or communicating with the video analyst team via cell phone.
Mascherano will miss the semifinal at Chase Stadium due to the initial red card, but it remains unknown if he will sit out any additional matches.
“The disciplinary committee is reviewing and we’ll await their resolution before commenting further,” a Leagues Cup spokesperson told ESPN.
“I was on the phone with the video analysts. But I’ll tell you one thing, it’s very common in football today for video analysts to communicate with the bench,” Mascherano said.
“I went, I sat in the upper stands. Now, because of the proximity, it was convenient for me to be there. If the team needed me there, yes. And if my players and my team need me, I’ll be there, and I’ll pay the price, no problem. But I’ll always be available for whatever my players need. And I felt that my players at that moment needed me to be there, but no more than that. I didn’t breach my obligations because we asked the Leagues Cup if I could sit there and the Leagues Cup told me yes, it’s the stands, let’s say it’s the stands, now a little higher, a little lower, that’s irrelevant, I chose to be closer.”
For now, Inter Miami will prepare for the upcoming match against D.C. United on Saturday at Audi Field without Messi.
The coach confirmed the Argentina star will not travel to Washington due to the ongoing muscle injury, prioritizing the Leagues Cup game instead.
Mascherano later added it remains unlikely that Jordi Alba will travel, after the player suffered a knock to his knee in the quarterfinal against Tigres.
Inter Miami is fifth in the MLS Eastern Conference with 45 points in 24 games. The conference leader is FC Cincinnati with 52 points in 27 games. D.C. United, sits last in the conference with 20 points and has gone 11 straight games without a win.
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