Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano appears to use cellphone to coach team after red-card ejection

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano was ejected from the team’s 2-1 win over Liga MX’s Tigres UANL on Wednesday, but still appeared to play a role in leading the team to victory.

After being sent off with a red card for arguing with officials at the end of the first half, Mascherano was caught in the stands using a cellphone seemingly to continue coaching the team in the second half.

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The incident was captured on camera during the broadcast. Mascherano was shown on his phone speaking animatedly and gesturing toward the field. When the announcers questioned who was on the other end of the call, the broadcast cut to an Inter Miami assistant holding a phone and speaking into it.

Upon first glance, fans might assume Mascherano was in violation of a number of rules if, in fact, he was communicating with an assistant coach from the stands. In other sports, ejected managers are not allowed to relay strategy to their teams once they are thrown out of a game. Former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine famously put that to the test when he tried to return to the dugout and manage the club while wearing a fake mustache.

Valentine didn’t get away with it for long. He was eventually discovered, received a two-game suspension and was fined $5,000.

The tactic might have cost him some money, but it was a small price to pay for being a part of one of baseball’s silliest stories.

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Don’t expect Mascherano to face similar discipline, however, as it appears communicating from the stands is within the rules. A Leagues Cup spokesperson told The Athletic that Mascherano was in a spot where cellphone communication was “not prohibited.”

“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.”

The International Football Association Board rulebook agrees with that statement. The issue is covered in the Rule 4.4 Other Equipment section of the organization’s “Laws of the Game.”

A portion of that rule states:

“The use of any form of electronic communication by team officials is permitted where it directly relates to player welfare or safety or for tactical/coaching reasons but only small, mobile, handheld equipment (e.g. microphone, headphone, earpiece, mobile phone/smartphone, smartwatch, tablet, laptop) may be used.”

If Mascherano was using a mobile phone for “tactical/coaching reasons,” he was apparently in an area where mobile phone use was allowed, so it doesn’t appear he’ll face any punishment for his alleged actions. The Leagues Cup Disciplinary Committee will review the incident, however, so it’s possible that changes in the coming days.