Former Liverpool star Luis Suarez made headlines after being seen trying to calm an angry Lionel Messi following Inter Miami’s 3-0 defeat to LAFC in their MLS season opener.
Goals from David Martínez, Denis Bouanga, and Nathan Ordaz handed the Herons a miserable start, with Messi visibly frustrated at the final whistle.
Suarez appeared to guide Messi away as they headed down the tunnel. Messi had returned from injury for the game but was unable to influence the outcome.
MLS was initially alerted to the incident amid suggestions that Messi had entered a restricted area near the referees’ premises. However, it was later confirmed that the Argentine forward did not actually walk through any restricted zone.
Suarez missed Inter Miami’s 4-2 comeback win over Orlando City on Monday due to a lower-leg injury, after training normally but experiencing discomfort at the end.
Meanwhile, a class-action lawsuit involving Vancouver Whitecaps FC fans is set for potential approval by the B.C. Supreme Court on Friday.
The suit stems from a May 25, 2024, match at BC Place Stadium, where over 51,000 fans attended and more than 3,000 later petitioned for refunds due to ticket prices exceeding $600 for a game promoted using the images of Messi, Suarez, and Sergio Busquets.
Fans called it a “bait-and-switch” when the stars did not appear. The proposed settlement, announced in December 2025, includes updates to Whitecaps’ ticketing policies and a $475,000 charitable donation, though the exact parties involved were not specified.
The case is scheduled for consideration in Vancouver around 10 a.m. “Using such promotional materials as ‘bait,’ the defendants caused the tickets for the Vancouver v. Miami game to be listed and sold on the primary market at ten times higher than the price of other Vancouver Whitecaps home games,” the application says.
“Two days before the Vancouver v. Miami Game, the Defendants ‘switched’ and announced that these famous soccer players would not be attending the game.”
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