Lionel Messi and his teammate Jordi Alba were suspended for one game after not showing up to the Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star game.
Messi's reaction has now come to light with Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas revealed that the football icon is "extremely upset" over the ban.
Messi and Alba didn’t take part in Wednesday’s All-Star game in Austin, Texas, where the MLS team won 3-1 against Mexico’s Liga MX All-Stars.
Jorge said, "He's very upset, extremely upset, as expected. I'm hopeful it doesn't have an impact long-term. Will it have an impact initially, in the players' perception of how the league rules work? Absolutely no doubt," as per BBC Sports.
He said of Alba and Messi, "The reaction was exactly as expected out of two competitive players who don't understand the decision, who don't understand why not attending an exhibition match leads directly to a suspension.
Jorge accepted that the rule exists but he thinks the people who enforced it don't fully understand it.
He further believes the punishment given because of this rule is extremely unfair, calling it "draconian."
As a punishment for missing that event, both players are now banned from playing in Inter Miami's next home match against FC Cincinnati this Saturday.
