“Match Is Fixed. Stop Promoting” – Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami Bashed After Controversial Refereeing Decisions in 3–1 Win Over Orlando City

Since the arrival of Lionel Messi, Inter Miami has been on a great run. It is safe to say that the club had quite a dominant presence against Atlanta United. After back-to-back wins, Miami faced Orlando City in the Round of 32 of the Leagues Cup. It turned out to be another positive result for the club. Despite another goal fest for Messi, his team received severe criticism on social media for an apparent referee ‘bias’ towards the team in pink, though.

Without a doubt, Messi’s impact on soccer in America is already palpable. Later in August, David Beckham‘s Miami-based club will look to carry forward the same sort of form into the league.

Inter Miami win again but the fans are upset with the referees!

The World Cup winner opened the scoring in the 7th minute. The goal was a true work of art as Robert Taylor chipped the ball over Orlando’s defense and the Argentine was waiting to pounce. Ten minutes later, Orlando City equalized and leveled the scoresheet again. The game went into halftime with a 1-1 scoreline. The Inter Miami board presented Jordi Alba his jersey at halftime in front of the fanbase.

While he warmed up on the sideline, Josef Martinez converted a penalty and gave the Miami-based club the lead again. It was his 9th goal in 12 games against Orlando City. The third goal was simply Messi working his magic again, assisted by Martinez. The game ended with a 3-1 scoreline. Despite Lionel Messi’s double, the fans were disappointed with certain referring decisions, especially Miami’s penalty. Here are some of the fan’s reactions.

Clearly, the fanbase had gotten a bit frustrated during this game. They felt that the referees were slightly in favor of Inter Miami. A fan called the referring ‘blatantly biased’. Another fan wrote, “the match is fixed. stop promoting it.”

Fans deemed that Orlando City never had a chance to win this game citing bias referring even before the game.

Here’s a fan poking fun at VAR with an edgy pictorial reference.

Nothing could stop the fans from further expressing their disappointment.

A fan made an interesting comment by stating that the “MLS is the WWE of soccer”. He was talking about the scripting, wasn’t he?

All in all, Messi won his third game in a row at Inter Miami. Despite him scoring two goals, the majority of the fans were disappointed over the referee’s certain ‘bias’ towards Inter Miami. Praise for the World Cup winner was overpowered by criticism towards VAR and the match officials. Nonetheless, the future seems bright in Miami.

READ MORE: “This Sh*t Is Child’s Play for the GOAT” – Lionel Messi Turns Darth Vader by Summoning Lightsaber as He Slays Atlanta United in Inter Miami’s 4–0 Win, Fans React

Lionel Messi embarks on a new journey in the US!

With the recent inclusion of Jordi Alba, the former Barcelona trio including Sergio Busquets will look to dominate every opponent in the future. However, the Miami-based club is lagging behind in the league. After a poor start to the season, they are languishing at the bottom of the table with just 18 points from 22 games.

Lionel Messi will prove to not only benefit Inter Miami but Major League Soccer as a whole. America will co-host the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2026. The Argentine soccer legend will probably help generate genuine interest in the sport. His arrival will also attract several other big names to opt for a soccer career in the US, which will in turn boost the quality of the league. Onwards and upwards!

WATCH THIS STORY: NFL Star’s Wife Celebrates Soccer Greatest Lionel Messi’s Miami Transfer with Unbridled Joy