Lionel Messi made secret agreement to get preferential MLS treatment

01 September 2023 , 16:33

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Lionel Messi has not been available to reporters after any Inter Miami match despite MLS rules. (Image: Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi continues to break MLS policies regarding media availability - but he may have made a secret agreement with the league to get preferential treatment.

Players are typically required to be available to reporters after all matches, but the Argentina legend hasn't obliged. According to The Athletic, Messi reached a gentleman's agreement with MLS and Inter Miami before finalising his move to America.

The reported pact promised Messi the freedom to choose when he wants to speak with reporters. MLS told the Associated Press earlier this week that Messi would be available following Wednesday's match against Nashville SC. But he didn't appear after the scoreless draw.

MLS has thus far minimised the issue. "There was a misunderstanding regarding Lionel Messi's media access," a spokesperson said at the start of the week. "He has not violated any guidelines for his media availability in Major League Soccer."

However, MLS hasn't provided an official reason for not cracking down on Messi's ongoing absence from the media. He's given one press conference and a couple of personally sanctioned interviews.

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Unlike in Europe, where clubs mostly keep players away from open media access outside of mixed zones, all US sports have some sort of requirement for players to grant time to journalists after games. In some sports, the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the Players' Association explicitly lays out media rules.

Reporters believe access to athletes enables them to build genuine relationships and tell rich stories that fans otherwise might not learn. Pre- and post-match interviews have been the basis of some of America's best sportswriting.

Amid controversy, MLS says it's re-examining its media policy. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

MLS, though, has suggested through its actions that it could become less welcoming. Officials have said they're now reviewing the media policy, enacted in 2017, for potential alterations.

The handbook states that "cooperation with the media, to the maximum extent, is obligatory." There are clear directives in there about post-game availability.

"We want to make sure we're providing tremendous access to broadcast partners and our internal constituents so that we can engage our current fans more frequently, and ultimately appeal to the broader soccer audience in North America, as well as around the world," said an MLS spokesman at the time.

Then-MLS Players Union counsel Jon Newman said of increased access: "From a players union perspective, we view this as a logical step forward to increase television ratings. In the US, you can watch any soccer game from leagues around the world played live. That's our competition on TV, and players want ratings to exceed those."

MLS included a clause that now looms large: "Major League Soccer retains the exclusive right of final decision on the interpretation of this policy."

The league can use that to defend itself against criticism of how it's handled Messi, the most significant transfer addition in its history. The Mirror has asked MLS for comment and will update this story if the league provides one.

Messi's arrival in the US has been a smashing success on the pitch. He led Inter Miami to its first-ever trophy in the Leagues Cup and helped them to the U.S. Open Cup final. The 36-year-old has yet to lose a game in any competition.

Dan Bernstein