Lawsuit filed against Lionel Messi after failing to play friendly in Miami

MIAMI – Lionel Messi is facing a lawsuit from a Miami-based event promoter that alleges the football superstar breached a contract by failing to play in an exhibition match in 2025, according to court records filed on March 31.

VID Music Group last month filed claims of fraud and breach of contract against Messi and the Argentine Football Association (AFA) in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, court records show. The lawsuit also names sports executive Julian Marcos Kapelan.

According to the complaint, VID signed an agreement with the AFA last summer granting it exclusive rights to organise and promote Argentina’s international friendlies in October against Venezuela and Puerto Rico, in exchange for ticketing, broadcast and sponsorship revenue.

The promoter says the deal required Messi to play at least 30 minutes in each match unless he was injured, with his participation “a central element of the match’s commercial value” and the “primary economic driver of the matches”.

The lawsuit accuses Messi of conspiring with Kapelan and the AFA “to engage in conduct” designed to induce VID into entering the contracts with AFA “under false pretences”. Messi is also accused of negligent misrepresentation.

The claims against the AFA include alleged negligent misrepresentation and breaches of contract relating to the match against Venezuela, the fixture versus Puerto Rico, and two proposed matches that were scheduled for the United States in June 2026 while Kapelan is accused of fraud.

Messi did not play in Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Venezuela on Oct 10, instead watching the match from a suite at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida, according to the lawsuit.

The following day, he started and scored twice for Inter Miami in a 4-0 win over Atlanta United.

He later appeared for Argentina in a 6-0 victory over Puerto Rico on Oct 14, recording two assists in a match that was also organised and promoted by VID, a game that was moved from Chicago and played at Inter Miami’s then home ground, Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

In other news, the Argentinian has purchased UE Cornella, a football team in Spain’s fifth-highest division.

The Catalonia-based club announced the news on April 16 but no financial terms were disclosed.

“This move reinforces Messi’s close ties to Barcelona and his commitment to the development of sport and local talent in Catalonia – a connection rooted in his years at FC Barcelona and sustained ever since,” the club said in a press release.

Cornella (16-7-7) sit in third place in Group 5 of Spain’s Tercera Federacion.

“Leo Messi’s arrival marks the beginning of a new chapter in the club’s history, aimed at driving both sporting and institutional growth, strengthening its foundations, and continuing to invest in talent,” the club added.

“The project is guided by a long-term vision and a strategic plan that combines ambition, sustainability and a strong connection to its local roots.”

Messi is in his fourth season with Inter Miami.

The 38-year-old is the two-time reigning Major League Soccer (MLS) Most Valuable Player and a record eight-time winner of the Ballon d’Or award as the world’s greatest player.

He won the MLS Cup with Miami in 2025 and the World Cup with Argentina in 2022.

REUTERS