Suspended 6 months for having asked Messi an autograph

It is a sanction that goes around the world … and raises a flood of questions. While Lionel Messi chained the exploits with Inter Miami in Champions Cup, a man paid dearly for his admiration for the star: six months of suspension, for having dared to claim an autograph. A radical decision, with the appearance of a thunderclap, which questions the limits between passion and professionalism.

A harmless gesture … with explosive consequences

It all starts at the end of the match between Inter Miami and Sporting Kansas City on February 22, 2025. While Messi has just sealing his team's victory (3-2), a man in official outfit approaches him . Under the eyes of the cameras, he hands a pen and a jersey, exchanges a few words, and leaves with a smile … and a signature. Banal scene? Not for the Concacaf, the governing body of North American football, which immediately opened an investigation.

The referee who made the rules tremble

The man in question is not a player, nor a technical staff, but Marco Antonio Ortiz Nava, 36 -year -old Mexican referee. Despite its explanations – the autograph was intended for a loved one with disabilities -, the Concacaf decided: six months of suspension in all its competitions. Pattern ?

“Compromise of impartiality and serious ethical failure”. A sanction all the more surprising since the referee will be able to continue to officer in Liga MX, under the jurisdiction … of the Concacaf.

Controversy: does passion have a price?

The decision divides. If some salute the rigor – “an arbitrator should never fraternize, even with Messi”, thunders an ancient official -, others shout at hypocrisy. “Six months for an autograph, while arbitration errors give nothing?” “, Indigines a fan on X. Ortiz Nava, he has apologized, but assumes his gesture: “I do not regret having wanted to make someone happy. »»

Messi, despite himself, at the heart of the scandal

Ironically, Inter Miami again faces Kansas this Wednesday, but without Messi, injured. The star ignores if her autograph is worth six months in football prison … or an invaluable smile.

This affair poses a crucial question: how far sacrifices the human on the altar of ethics? The Concacaf has chosen its camp. When will a code of conduct … in sympathetic ink?