Messi media crush forces Inter Miami, MLS to adjust interview policy for his games
The media crush surrounding Lionel Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami has created logistical challenges and forced the team and Major League Soccer to make special accommodations every place he plays in order to keep the Argentine star and media members safe.
Messi, who was not accustomed to granting many interviews in the past, is getting adjusted to MLS and American media demands and working with Inter Miami and the league to find ways to make him more accessible without creating a safety hazard.
Due to size limitations, DRV PNK Stadium and many other MLS venues are not able to accommodate hundreds of journalists inside a locker room after the match. MLS is working with Inter Miami and the other MLS clubs to make necessary adjustments.
When Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham joined the Los Angeles Galaxy as a player in 2007, for example, he did not do locker room interviews but held post-game press conferences after many games to accommodate the large media demand.
The DRV PNK Stadium interview room fits 60 to 70 people and several hundred apply for credentials to every game. Saturday night at Red Bull Arena, there were approximately 400 credentialed media for the Inter Miami game, so a tent was set up near a loading dock for the post-game interviews with the two coaches and a barricade was set up nearby for reporters to speak to select players.
Messi was not made available and has not conducted any interviews after the nine games he played other than on the field with rights holders. His first and only general press conference was on Aug. 17 and he granted a few short one-on-one interviews afterward with select media, including the Miami Herald, which has covered the team since its inception nine years ago and covers all games and most training sessions.
The Associated Press reported after Saturday’s game that Messi had violated the MLS media policy by not speaking to reporters. League rules require players to be available for post-game interviews following a 15-minute cooling off period, which is similar to the standard practice in all U.S. professional leagues.
An MLS statement on the matter Tuesday said: “There was a misunderstanding regarding Lionel Messi’s media access. He has not violated any guidelines for his media availability in Major League Soccer.”
According to a league source, MLS is in the initial stages of reviewing its media access policy, which was last updated in 2017. The review of the policy began earlier this year, prior to Messi stating his intention to join Inter Miami.
This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 2:01 PM.