بقرار رسمي.. منع الحارس الشخصي لميسي من دخول الملعب

The organizing committee for the Leagues Cup has decided to exclude Yassine Chouaib, the personal goalkeeper of Argentine star Lionel Messi, player of the American club Inter Miami, from being present in the technical area for the remainder of the current edition of the tournament.

According to what was reported by the American ESPN network, the decision came after an incident that followed the match between Inter Miami and Atlas from Mexico, which took place last Wednesday at Chase Stadium. Chouaib entered the field after the final whistle to intervene and resolve a scuffle between players from both teams, during which Messi was present.

A video circulated on social media showed Chouaib pushing one of the Atlas players, prompting the tournament's disciplinary committee to take disciplinary action against him, which included banning him from entering the technical area, in addition to fining Inter Miami financially, without disclosing the amount of the penalty.

The committee's statement read: Following the match between Inter Miami and Atlas on July 30, one of the members of the American club's delegation acted inappropriately by entering an area where he was not authorized to be.

The statement clarified that this action is in accordance with the regulations of the Leagues Cup for 2025, and that the individual concerned will be prohibited from entering the technical areas for the remaining matches of the current tournament.

For his part, Atlas defender Matheus Doria commented on the incident during a press conference, stating that the personal goalkeeper's intervention was unjustified, especially since he does not have the legal authority to deal with players on the field.

Doria added: We understand that his presence aims to protect Messi from approaching fans, but his interference in the affairs of the match is not within his authority. He continued: The management will handle the matter, and the parties responsible for the tournament witnessed everything that happened and will take what they deem appropriate.

Inter Miami had won against Atlas with a score of 2-1 in an exciting group stage match, scoring the winning goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time, amid enthusiastic celebrations from Messi, who assisted the goal.

It is worth noting that the Major League Soccer had emphasized earlier this year the necessity for official security teams to take responsibility for protecting players, which led to restricting the presence of Messi's personal goalkeeper, as he was only allowed to remain in designated areas behind the scenes, such as locker rooms and media areas.

The Leagues Cup is held annually with the participation of clubs from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and it has been witnessing increasing fan interest due to the participation of global stars like Lionel Messi.