Messi, Argentine soccer federation sued over missed Miami exhibition match
Lionel Messi and the Argentine soccer federation are being sued by a Miami-based music and event promoter who claim the Inter Miami captain violated terms of a $7 million contract by missing an exhibition match against Venezuela at Hard Rock Stadium last October.
Patino and Associates, led by Ralph Patino, confirmed that VID Music Group, LLC has filed a lawsuit in the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Miami-Dade County in connection with the promotion and organization of international soccer matches involving the Argentine National Team, the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (AFA), and Messi.
Messi watched in street clothes from a stadium suite on Oct. 10, 2025, as Argentina’s national team beat Venezuela 1-0 in the friendly match. There had been speculation all week that the Argentine icon might sit out the game so he could play for Inter Miami the next night in the club’s regular season home finale against Atlanta United.
As of the day before the game, Messi’s status for the game was uncertain and there were indications he might sit out and play for Inter Miami against Atlanta United and then join the Argentina team three days later for an exhibition game against Puerto Rico, which was moved from Chicago to Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale due to immigration protests in Chicago, which were said to be affecting ticket sales.
Messi had played the full 90 minutes in seven games over the previous 21 days, and Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said on the eve of the Venezuela match that he would not take any risks for players who needed rest, especially because this was a friendly and an opportunity to get a look at some of the less-experienced players.
“We spoke to [Messi], as we have with all the players, and we have not decided on the lineup yet,” Scaloni said at a media briefing at Hard Rock Stadium the day before the match. “We will make the decision after our final training. These are games for experimenting and that’s what we’ll do. I would like to try new alternatives.”
The next day, Messi scored two goals in Inter Miami’s 4-0 MLS win over Atlanta, a victory that secured home-field advantage for the playoffs.
Then, on Oct. 14, Messi played in Argentina’s 6-0 win over Puerto Rico in Fort Lauderdale.
According to the lawsuit, which does not specify damages sought, Messi’s absence from the Venezuela game cost VID Music Group significant revenue.
According to the complaint, VID Music Group was induced to move forward based on representations regarding future match opportunities, including a proposed exhibition game against Mexico, which the company contends was presented as part of the broader commercial framework of its relationship with AFA.
VID Music Group further alleges that it relied on these representations to undertake significant financial and operational commitments, while certain contractual and commercial expectations were not fulfilled.
The complaint states that the anticipated participation of Messi constituted a material term of the agreements, forming a central component of the contracts and directly tied to the commercial viability of the matches.
Neither Messi nor AFA have commented yet on the lawsuit.
This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 9:18 AM.