Leagues Cup 2025: Inter Miami Head Coach Javier Mascherano Uses Phone Call To Coach After Being Sent Off – WATCH

Inter Miami secured a 2-1 win against Tigres UANL in the Leagues Cup 2025 quarter-final on 21 August, but it was the actions of head coach Javier Mascherano that grabbed headlines at Chase Stadium. The Herons booked their place in the Leagues Cup semi-final despite Lionel Messi’s absence. However, Mascherano was sent off at Chase Stadium for an argument with the referee, and what the Argentine did later has divided opinions.

At the end of the first half, the Miami bench clashed with referee Mario Escobar regarding the duration of added time. However, as the teams came out for the second half, Mascherano was nowhere to be seen in the dugout.

It later turned out, as revealed by Inter Miami assistant manager Javier Morales, that Mascherano was sent off during the break for the words that he used against the referee. “We came out for the second half, and Javier was told he had been sent off,” Morales said in the post-match press conference.

In the second half, Mascherano was seen sitting on the Chase Stadium stands, looking visibly angry with his sending off.

Although Luis Suarez had given Inter Miami the lead through a 27th-minute penalty, former Atletico Madrid attacker Angel Correa levelled the scoreline right after the hour mark for Tigres.

Following his sending off and Miami’s poor performance, Mascherano resorted to a novel tactic – calling up assistant coach Lucas Rodriguez Pagano on his cell phone, shouting tactical instructions from his seat.

His actions took the match commentators by surprise. “Tell me one time you’ve seen that,” Apple TV commentator Taylor Twellman said with surprise. “How’s that any different than him being on the bench?... He’s certainly within earshot of everybody!”

However, despite Mascherano’s actions clearly falling in the zone of “dark arts” in football, it did not breach any Leagues Cup regulations, which do not prohibit phone communication and seating in the stands.

As per a report from ESPN, a Leagues Cup press official clarified that Mascherano was eventually asked to stop giving instructions from the stands. This can possibly indicate a future change in rules to prevent such a thing from happening again.

Cricket fans will also be familiar with a similar controversy from the 1999 World Cup. During South Africa’s opening match against India at Hove, captain Hansie Cronje and pacer Allan Donald wore earpieces on the pitch to receive instructions from coach Bob Woolmer. After protests from India, the match referee, Talat Ali, referred the matter to the ICC. The body said that the practice, although not against the rules, was “unfair” and subsequently banned it.

Despite the controversy on the stands, Inter Miami were certainly resilient on the pitch. Against a feisty Tigres side, Suarez struck in the 89th minute – again from the spot – to give the Herons a 2-1 lead in the match. Ivan Lopez saw his header strike the post, and Miami rode their luck into the Leagues Cup semi-final.