MLS announces investigation into David Beckham’s Inter Miami signing of Casemiro

Major League Soccer is investigating David Beckham’s Inter Miami for potential tampering in the process of acquiring the Brazilian midfielder Casemiro as a free agent.

The league announced the investigation in a press release on Wednesday just moments after Inter Miami revealed that it has signed the midfielder on a deal that runs through the end of this season and includes an option to extend through June 2029.

“Major League Soccer is reviewing a tampering allegation against Inter Miami CF. The league is gathering all relevant information and will refrain from further comment until the review is complete,” the league said in its statement. “While Inter Miami CF and the LA Galaxy have reached a settlement for the Discovery Priority to sign Casemiro, the terms will be released upon conclusion of the tampering investigation.”

The issue at hand is whether or not Inter Miami circumvented the MLS’ “discovery rights” process, which allows clubs to put up to six players on their “discovery list,” giving them priority to negotiate contracts with said player.

Casemiro was on the Galaxy’s discovery list before his signing with Inter Miami, with whom David Beckham is a part-owner.

If a player is on a club’s “discovery list, then only that particular club can speak with that player while in contract negotiations, and no other MLS club is allowed to make contact.

Teams are able to acquire discovery rights from other MLS clubs if it can offer “that club $50,000 in General Allocation Money in exchange for the right to sign the player,” according to the MLS’ complicated roster rules.

“The club with the player on its Discovery List will then have five days (or three days during the Secondary Transfer Window) to either (i) accept the General Allocation Money and pass on the right to sign the player or (ii) make the player a genuine, objectively reasonable offer.”