MLS could be tempted to bend rules for Messi with Miami at risk of sell-off
Inter Miami may have to offload a large portion of their squad to comply with league rules, unless Major League Soccer decides to let them off again.
The franchise owned by David Beckham are essentially overspending ahead of the 2024 season, which isn't a shock seeing as they have Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez on the books. In MLS each team has a salary cap, with certain spots for designated players and target allocation money so they can bypass the maximum wage for certain stars.
But Miami has gone over their limit and are still in the red with just six days to go until the new season, and an unnamed MLS executive told The Athletic: "They are screwed. Trust me." The new season starts on February 21 when Miami hosts Real Salt Lake, giving them until February 20 to organise their roster to prepare for the upcoming campaign.
It's not known how much money Miami have to release from their roster, but The Athletic also stated that DeAndre Yedlin and Sergii Kryvstov, Gregore, Jean Mota, and Robert Taylor could all be listed for sale this week. But with such a short time for Miami to resolve this situation, and the franchise being such an important commercial aspect to MLS, they could give them special treatment again.
READ MORE: Inter Miami receive Lionel Messi injury boost after pre-season tour chaos
READ MORE: David Beckham must sell Inter Miami players as Lionel Messi splurge leads to MLS rules risk
MLS bent over backwards to get Messi in their league, and his impact justifies why they were so desperate. Fans have gone mad for Messi since he signed for Miami, and league ratings are up, subscriptions to Apple TV Season Pass are through the roof, and attendance figures have risen, especially when Miami are playing away from home.
Fans were paying $500 (£400) per ticket when Miami were on the road, approximately 10 times more than the average MLS ticket usually costs. Miami gave Messi a unique contract when signing him on a free transfer, forfeiting some salary for incentives elsewhere.
Miami receives a share of the Season Pass sales on Apple TV, and also generates revenue from shirt sales. It's similar to the deal David Beckham had when he signed for LA Galaxy, with talks of a franchise being available to Messi after he retires for a smaller fee also mentioned in his contract.
Messi has a similar style of contract than David Beckham did due to his status (FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images) MLS is the fastest growing league in the world, and Messi has already pushed them faster in the right direction. But Miami had to consult with the league in order to sign him, as they negotiated with MLS to ensure he wouldn't constantly be available for media duties.
Like most major American leagues, MLS players undertake press conferences after games and also have to deal with reporters in the locker room. MLS players are fined if they refuse to face the media, but Messi is exempt from this ruling.
LA Galaxy were given a transfer ban after breaching league rules in the past, so if Miami can't resolve their current issue before the season starts it'll be clear to see how MLS treats them compared to other teams. Some clubs have shown frustration with Mami's model since bringing Messi in, but all teams benefit from more eyes being on the league.
Messi has brought more eyes on MLS than ever before (Getty Images) One manager that has no problem with Miami or Messi is Bruce Arena, most recently of the New England Revolution. "I think bringing Lionel Messi into our league is fabulous and whatever they can do - if they had [the maximum] three DPs [designated players] already and they brought him in - I could live with it. It's good for our league," Arena said after Messi agreed to join.
"I don't know what it is, but the rules are being followed. The league isn't doing anything special for Miami. What's special is that [David] Beckham was able to attract Messi to his club and they worked on him for a couple years... He's gonna have a tremendous impact for that team and that city in the league. And that has to be good."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
