Messi Sued For Missing Argentina Friendly In Miami

 

A lawsuit has been filed against Lionel Messi and the Argentine Football Association after the Inter Miami star did not feature in a friendly game in the United States last year.

VID Music Group, a Miami-based events company, filed a 10-count complaint, in a South Florida court against Messi, the AFA and a third-party agent. Messi did not appear for Argentina in October’s friendly against Venezuela at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, a match organized and promoted by VID.

Messi is accused of conspiring with the agent and the AFA “to engage in conduct” designed to persuade VID into entering into contracts with the AFA “under false pretenses”. He is also accused of negligent misrepresentation and tortious interference of contract.

Counts against the AFA include alleged negligent misrepresentation and alleged breaches of contract relating to the Venezuela game, a match against Puerto Rico in October and a pair of proposed matches that would have taken place in the U.S. in June 2026. The agent has been accused of fraud.

The game against Venezuela, which Argentina won 1-0, was scheduled for October 10 at Hard Rock Stadium during a FIFA international window. The FIFA window is available to all international confederations; however, unlike many European leagues, MLS does not break for international fixtures in October, with the regular season concluding that month.

Messi, 38, subsequently started and scored twice for Inter Miami in a 4-0 win over Atlanta United on October 11. He then appeared for Argentina against Puerto Rico two days later, recording two assists in the 6-0 win — a game also organized and promoted by VID.

The game was played at Inter Miami’s then-home, Chase Stadium, in Fort Lauderdale after being relocated from Chicago.

Messi was not included in the Argentina squad against Venezuela, a decision that VID said it only became aware of the day prior and was not communicated to the company by the AFA. Messi was pictured sitting in a box at the game alongside his family, which VID said it paid for.

The complaint alleges that Messi’s non-appearance directly affected attendance, which VID said was approximately 15,000, around 23 per cent of the stadium’s capacity. It also claimed that the terms of the agreement meant that VID was entitled to 25 per cent of the value of the contract if Messi failed to appear and said that the AFA breached the contract by failing to pay the amount.

It also claims that Messi represented to the public and to VID that he would appear in the game, and that he should have known he would not play in the match, with his failure to appear interfering with the agreement signed between VID and the AFA. VID claimed it suffered damages as a result.

VID claimed that it was approached by an AFA representative in August 2025 about the possibility of holding two exhibition matches in the U.S. and that it later paid the AFA $7 million for the exclusive right to organize and promote the two international fixtures. Included in the court documents is an acceptance letter of the October games signed by AFA president Claudio Tapia.

The company also claimed that part of the agreement stated that Messi was required to play at least 30 minutes in both matches except in the case of injury or illness, with Messi’s participation “a central element of the match’s commercial value” and the “primary economic driver of the matches.”

The AFA required that VID work exclusively with the agent, whose FIFA match agent license was expired at the time, the complaint said. It added that the agent acted as an intermediary in discussions between the two parties and was part of negotiations regarding stadium arrangements and logistics.

Argentina’s friendly against Puerto Rico was originally slated to take place at Chicago’s Soldier Field, but the complaint states that Chicago was “experiencing civil unrest and significant public safety concerns that materially affected the ability to safely conduct the match, and negatively impacted ticket sales.”

The match was ultimately relocated to Inter Miami’s former home of Chase Stadium. VID claimed that it lost more than $1.3 million promoting and organizing the Chicago fixture and that the AFA breached its contract by not returning money that it was paid by VID as part of the agreement.