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In Wednesday’s Leagues Cup quarterfinal against Liga MX side Tigres, Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano received a red card at halftime. But Mascherano wasn’t about to let that little fact get in the way of managing his team.
The red card meant that Mascherano was banished to the stands for the remainder of the contest. However, some quick thinking and a pretty blatant violation of the rules of the game meant that the former Argentina and FC Barcelona star could still take full control of his team.
Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano — who is sitting in the stands after a red card — talking on the phone to his assistant coach Lucas Rodriguez Pagano. pic.twitter.com/uCrgXOSgOn
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) August 21, 2025
Inter Miami Manager Javier Mascherano Didn’t Even Try To Hide His Cheating
Early in the second half of the game, with Inter Miami leading 1-0, cameras caught Mascherano pretty brazenly talking on the phone to assistant coach Lucas Rodriguez Pagano, who then relayed the information to players.
“Why don’t more coaches just do this?” you may ask. Well, because it’s wildly illegal.
According to a report by Henry Bushnell of The Athletic, “a competition spokesperson told reporters onsite that coaches who are shown red cards are not permitted to give instructions to coaches or players.”
However, when The Athletic reached out Leagues Cup organizers, they were told that “The Inter Miami head coach was located in a space designated according to tournament regulations. Cellphone communications are not prohibited per Leagues Cup regulations in this instance.”
Those two statements are diametrically opposed.
However, the international rules of the game state that a manager who has received a red card or a suspension cannot:
- Give a pre-match team talk
- Be in the dressing room at half-time
- Discreetly pass on information for their assistants — to those in the dugout by phone or a ‘runner’
- Pre- and post-match media duties, not including touchline interviews
So uh, that seems pretty clear!
“We didn’t expect it. We came out for the second half and they told Javier (Mascherano) he had been sent off. To be honest, we weren’t expecting the red card,” assistant coach Javier Morales said after the game.”
If it’s determined that Mascherano violated the rules, Inter Miami could be disqualified from the tournament and Tigres would move on to the semifinals.
For now, however, it appears that everyone is content to look the other way, yet again, for the club that employs Lionel Messi.