In recent years, Yassine Cheuko has been almost a shadow of Lionel Messi, and has functioned as a kind of bodyguard to the Argentine football star.
A certain myth has also been created around Cheuko, and in a long report, The Athletic tried to figure out who he was and where he came from. They noted, among other things, how hopeless it was to get an interview with him, and added:
"But if you really want to meet Yassine Cheuko, there's a foolproof way: just run onto the pitch during one of Inter Miami's matches."
Cheuko has several times in recent years run onto the pitch to protect Lionel Messi from invading fans, but now it seems to be over. He himself says that he has been denied accreditation, which gives access to the pitch.
During the seven years I worked in Europe, for (French) Ligue 1 and Champions League, I only experienced six people invading the pitch. Since I came to the USA, 16 people have invaded the pitch in 20 months. It's a big problem here, he says according to several media, referring to an interview with the TikTok account
.
It's not me who's the problem. Let me help Messi.
The North American league, MLS, tells The Athletic that they have not changed their rules regarding who gets to be on the pitch. However, Inter Miami confirms that they have made the decision to limit the areas Cheuko is allowed to access during matches.
Yassine Cheuko is, however, still employed by Inter Miami, says the club.
