Florida (TIP): Accused of fraud, Lionel Messi has been sued by a Miami-based event promoter for allegedly breaching the terms of a 7 million USD contract after missing an exhibition match last year. The lawsuit was filed by Vid Music Group against the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and Messi for fraud and breach of contract, according to court records. The lawsuit was filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court last month.
According to the lawsuit, the promoter group signed a deal with the AFA last year for exclusive rights to promote and organise Argentina’s international friendlies, including last October’s matches against Venezuela and Puerto Rico, in exchange for ticket, sponsorship, and broadcast revenue. According to Vid, Messi was supposed to play at least 30 minutes in each game, unless he was injured.
Messi wasn’t on the pitch during Argentina’s 1-0 win vs Venezuela on October 10, and he watched it from a suite at Hard Rock Stadium, the lawsuit stated. Meanwhile, the next day, he was in action during Inter Miami’s 4-0 MLS win over Atlanta and also scored two goals.
On October 14, he played in Argentina’s 6-0 victory over Puerto Rico. The match was initially scheduled to be played in Chicago, but low ticket sales and arrests by Immigration and Enforcement agents led to it being shifted to Florida. The smaller venue in Florida didn’t sell out, although the ticket prices were reduced to 25 USD each. The promoter company hasn’t specified the damages they’re seeking in the lawsuit. But they have said they lost millions because Messi didn’t play in the game against Venezuela, and that low ticket sales are also to blame.
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