Messi faces a lawsuit for fraud

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi is facing a lawsuit against him from a Miami-based events organization company, which accused him of violating the terms of a contract worth $7 million, by missing an exhibition match last year.

According to court records, Vid Music Group filed a lawsuit for fraud and breach of contract against Messi and the Argentine Football Association in Miami-Dade County Court last month.

According to the newspaper “USA Today” and according to the lawsuit, the company “Feed” signed an agreement with the Argentine Football Association last summer to obtain the exclusive rights to organize and promote the friendly matches that the Argentine national team played last October against Venezuela and Puerto Rico, in exchange for revenues from ticket sales, broadcasting and sponsorship.

Fed claims that Messi was supposed to play at least 30 minutes in every match, unless injured.

Also according to the lawsuit, Messi (38 years old) watched Argentina’s victory over Venezuela with an unanswered goal on October 10 from a private box at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida.

The next day, Messi scored two goals in Inter Miami’s 4-0 win over Atlanta in the American Football League. That match was important for Inter Miami, as it gave them the advantage of playing at home in the first round of the playoffs.

Then, on October 14, Messi participated in Argentina’s 6-0 victory over Puerto Rico. The match was originally scheduled to be held in Chicago, but poor ticket sales in the city, which witnessed more than a thousand arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, prompted organizers to move the match to Florida.

The NFL blamed anti-immigration campaigns when it did not sell all tickets for the smaller stadium in Fort Lauderdale, even after the ticket price was reduced to $25.

Fed did not specify the damages for which it seeks compensation in the lawsuit, but it claims that it lost millions of dollars due to Messi not appearing in one match and decreased ticket sales in the other match.