The American promoter VID Music Group sued the footballer Lionel Messi already Argentine Football Association (AFA) for an alleged breach of contract in two friendly matches against Venezuela and Puerto Rico last October, according to court documents accessed EFE.
The events company, based in Miamiaccused Messi already AFA of failing to comply with the terms of a $7 million contract in which he acquired “the exclusive rights to organize and promote” both parties, according to the lawsuit filed in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Miami-Dade County.
The AFA contracts “expressly stipulated” that Messi “must participate for at least 30 minutes in each match,” except in cases of injury, illness or force majeure, the promoter said.
But, in the first case, VID Music Group argued that Messi and the AFA caused them million-dollar losses because the footballer did not play in Argentina’s friendly match against Venezuela on October 10, as he had promised, which he believes caused attendance at the event to be only 15,000 people.
The company criticized having found out hours before the event about the absence of the footballer, who also watched the game from a private suite at the Hard Rock Stadium and the next day played for Inter Miami and scored two goals.
“In addition, Messi’s absence in the initial friendly match on October 10, 2025 against Venezuela seriously affected subsequent matches, as the general public lost confidence in his attendance,” the document states.
In the second case, VID Music Group claimed to have lost $1.3 million for Argentina’s match against Puerto Rico, which would initially be played on October 13 in Chicago, where the city was facing an atmosphere of “civil unrest” due to protests against US President Donald Trump’s immigration raids.
But the promoter warned the AFA of “concerns” because the capacity of Chase Stadium in Florida, where the game was moved, was “significantly lower” than that of Chicago’s Soldier Field.
Additionally, the plaintiffs expressed “concerns” that they would only have three and a half days to promote the game and sell 21,500 tickets.
The promoter also indicated that, to repair the losses, AFA promised to hold three matches in China, which “never happened despite the promises” of the association and Julián Marcos Kapelan, an agent who is also sued.
The legal appeal covers 11 charges distributed between Messi, the AFA and Kapelan that include breach of contract, unjust enrichment, civil conspiracy, fraudulent inducement and negligent misrepresentation.
The plaintiffs, who are seeking compensation for the damage, announced that they will offer more details of the lawsuit at a press conference in Miami next Tuesday.
