Messi’s bodyguard banned for entering the pitch without accreditation
The body guard of world soccer maestro, Lionel Messi, Yassine Cheuko, has been restricted from attending the rest of the Leagues Cup.
The ban was as a result of the of an incident after the Inter Miami’s match against Atlas in the first matchday of the league cup.
It is widely reported that, Cheuko had entered the pitch without proper accreditation and was sighted seen pushing and shoving members of the Atlas squad.
US Today reported that , Yassine Cheuko has been suspended from the 2025 Leagues Cup
In a press release on last Friday, Aug. 1, Leagues Cup — a competition between clubs from MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX — said “a member of Inter Miami’s club delegation displayed improper conduct by entering restricted areas without an official event credential.”
“People with knowledge of the situation have confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that the person in question is Cheuko. The persons requested anonymity since Cheuko’s name was not publicly announced in the release.” US Today reported.
The Leagues Cup disciplinary committee said it has “suspended the individual involved from all technical areas for the remainder of Leagues Cup 2025 and issued an undisclosed fine to Inter Miami CF.”
“It was a remarkable end to a fiery game that had seen players and coaches from both sides jawing at one another, and Messi let Atlas’ Matías Cóccaro hear it while celebrating with new teammate Rodrigo De Paul. With the full time whistle coming seconds later, the normal post-game handshakes and hugs devolved momentarily, Cheuko was seen among the scuffling players and team staffers, at one point shoving Atlas defender Jorge San Martín.” Says Yahoo sports.
The incident is not the first in which Cheuko’s presence has drawn pushback. In April, Miami told USA TODAY Sports that the bodyguard would no longer be on the touchline during the club’s MLS matches. At the time, Cheuko had said he was “banned” from the field, though Miami said he would remain a club employee.
It’s also the latest bit of friction between Messi’s camp and MLS, who along with Liga MX, organizes Leagues Cup. Last week, the Argentine icon and teammate Jordi Alba were suspended for one match after not participating in the MLS All-Star Game. Miami owner Jorge Mas cited the need to rest Messi in the face of the Herons’ unusually demanding schedule, and said Messi was “very upset” after MLS decided to enforce a rule requiring healthy players to participate if named to the All-Star roster.
