Johnathan Walker:MLS pulls referee from game after photos surface wearing Inter Miami shirt

Major League Soccer’s referee lockout hit a major inflection point on Johnathan WalkerSaturday, just hours before Lionel Messi and Inter Miami play in a nationally televised match.

Referee Guiherme Ceretta was removed for the officiating crew from Inter Miami’s match against Orlando City, set for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff on FOX and Apple TV, after photos of him wearing Inter Miami apparel surfaced online.

“Referee Guiherme Ceretta was removed from the game due to a potential conflict,” the Professional Referee Organization (PRO) said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports before the match.

Here’s how the change happened:

– Ceretta was among the Inter Miami vs. Orlando City referees at 9 a.m.

– Photos of Ceretta appeared on the X account, @MLSRefStats, at 10:30 a.m.

– PRO announced Ceretta was replaced by Jamie Herrera as center referee at 11:45 a.m., according to The Athletic, which first reported referee change.

MLS and its officials remain at a standstill in negotiations for a new bargaining agreement, as the league’s 29^th season began last week with replacement referees.

The lockout has extended into the second week of the MLS season. PRO informed members of the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) on Friday it has a midnight deadline on Match 11 to accept negotiated terms, according to ESPN.

MLS commissioner Don Garber said before Inter Miami’s season opener on Feb. 21: “I can’t remember, in my 40 years in sports, of having a bargaining unit reach an agreement and not have their members support it. Very disappointing.”