Concacaf announced sanctions against Inter Miami CF on Wednesday for an incident that occurred after the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal clash against Monterrey on April 3 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Following the final whistle, Monterrey assistant coach Nico Sanchez said Lionel Messi and head coach Gerardo Martino approached the referees to dispute calls made throughout the match before Rayados officials got involved.
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A source told ESPN that the Argentine forward angrily approached the visitors’ locker room and began yelling after Miami’s 2-1 loss to Monterrey in the first leg.
After gathering evidence and documentation during an investigation, Concacaf fined the South Florida side for a “lack of security.”
Concacaf said in a statement: “After considering the documentation and evidence gathered during their investigation, which included requesting written statements from both clubs and thoroughly reviewing the reports submitted by the match officials, and based on the competition’s regulations and the applicable Disciplinary Code, the Disciplinary Committee has fined Inter Miami CF an undisclosed amount for lack of security in their stadium.”
Concacaf went on to warn Inter Miami that more “severe sanctions” could be added if a situation of that nature were to happen in any of its future competitions.
Monterrey previously confirmed that they filed a complaint to Concacaf for the incident, asking for sanctions against the team.
Miami received news of the fine on Wednesday while in Monterrey for the second leg of the teams’ Champions Cup tie.