Lionel Messi, Argentina FA sued for fraud after not playing in Miami exhibitions

Lionel Messi and the Argentinian FA are being sued for alleged fraud and a breach of contract.

Argentina was scheduled to play in two exhibitions this past October, where Messi was reportedly obligated to play at least 30 minutes in both. But he wound up watching them from the stands, eventually leading to this lawsuit.

VID, a company that promotes large-scale sporting and music events based in Miami, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Messi and the Argentine Football Association for fraud and breach of contract, TMZ reported.

The court filing claims that VID acquired exclusive rights to two friendly matches Argentina was scheduled to play in October against Venezuela and Puerto Rico, and that Messi was contractually obligated to play for at least 30 minutes in each match unless he was hurt, according to the report.

VID said it paid the Argentine Football Association $7 million as part of the deal.

However, Messi did not play in either match, opting to sit out for the Oct. 11 game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, he did attend and watch the match from a suite in order to be available for Inter Miami the following night in the MLS regular season finale.

The friendly against Puerto Rico had to be moved from Chicago’s Soldier Field to Inter Miami’s former home in Fort Lauderdale which, the lawsuit claims, resulted in a loss of more than a $1 million.

Chicago Park District spokesman Luca Serra told the Associated Press that the change in venue was due to low ticket sales and made by the promoter.

The suit says that the Argentine Football Association told VID that it would make things right with a future game against China in 2026 that never came to fruition. 

This is not the first time a lawsuit has been brought over Messi not playing in a match.

Major League Soccer and the Vancouver Whitecaps settled a class action lawsuit last month after the two entities were sued after fans alleged they relied on “misleading promotional material” that Messi and a slew of other Inter Miami stars would be playing in a match on May 25, 2024.