Why Inter Miami's Lionel Messi deal isn't done yet; MLS, Apple pushing for All-Star involvement
theathletic.com
Lionel Messi’s announcement on Wednesday that he intends to come to Major League Soccer to play for Inter Miami was one of the most important moments in the history of MLS and American soccer. It was also one for which the league was not prepared. Multiple league and team sources confirmed that MLS and commissioner Don Garber were not ready for any public announcement about Messi coming to MLS, as first reported by Fox Sports. The league indicated as much in their own public statement, in which they wrote they were “pleased” that Messi had stated his intent to join Inter but, “work...

No contract between Messi and MLS has been signed, or even finalized, and the lack of an agreement has had a ripple effect on how the league and Inter Miami promote Messi’s arrival. It has also impacted the timeline of multiple deals being negotiated in tandem with Messi’s contract, from a new coach to the players set to join Messi in the summer transfer window.

  • @silverbaxEnglish
    3•1 year ago

    In the article, it sounds like Fox Sports announced the deal, but the deal hasn’t been completed and MLS wasn’t ready to announce. This puts them in a tough spot, and if the deal doesn’t go through, they might have a legal avenue to seek compensation from Fox. However, going after broadcast networks when you are a pro sports league is tricky, since that’s your main revenue source.