Overview
- VID Music Group filed a multi-count civil complaint in Miami-Dade Circuit Court last month accusing Lionel Messi, the Argentine Football Association and an outside agent of fraud, breach of contract and related claims.
- Court filings include a contract signed by AFA president Claudio Tapia that, according to VID, required Messi to play at least 30 minutes in each match except for verified injury or force majeure and set a 25% fee penalty if he did not appear.
- The dispute centers on October 2025 exhibitions in the U.S., when Messi did not play against Venezuela in Miami but scored for Inter Miami the next day and later featured in Argentina’s win over Puerto Rico.
- VID says it paid about $7 million for exclusive rights and claims losses tied to weak turnout at Hard Rock Stadium of roughly 15,000 fans and a late move of the Puerto Rico match from Chicago to Florida, while also alleging an agreed $1 million remedy was never paid.
- The case is in an early stage with no finding of liability and no substantive public response from Messi or the AFA, and VID has announced a press briefing in Coral Gables on Tuesday to outline its allegations and evidence; such appearance clauses are common in friendlies because ticket sales hinge on star participation.