MIAMI — Superstar Lionel Messi and his teammate Jordi Alba will not play in Inter Miami's match against FC Cincinnati Saturday, Major League Soccer announced.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement the league has a "long-standing policy" regarding All-Star participation, and anyone who does not get prior approval from the league to skip the game is ruled ineligible for their club's next match.
Neither Messi nor Alba got approval to not participate.
"It was a very difficult decision," Garber said in the statement. "That said, we’re going to take a hard look at the policy moving forward. I’m committed to working with our players to determine how the rule should evolve."
Cincinnati will travel to Chase Stadium to take on the Messi-less Miami side at 7:15 p.m. Saturday. The Orange and Blue currently sit atop the Eastern Conference and boast an away record of 8-4-1.
