Inter Miami Owner Calls for Controversial MLS Rule to Be Removed

MLS is investigating Inter Miami for tampering in the acquisition process to sign Casemiro.

Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas is one of the league’s most ambitious visionaries in roster building. | Rich Storry/Getty Images

Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas blasted some of the finer points of Major League Soccer’s rules as the club formally introduced Casemiro ahead of the Brazilian’s home debut against Columbus Crew on Saturday. 

Speaking to the press after unveiling the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star to 500 fans, he called the Discovery Rights process “not something [MLS] should move forward with,” while vehemently arguing that Inter Miami did not tamper in acquiring the player, for which MLS is investigating them. 

The Discovery Rights allow teams to have a list of up to five players to which they can secure exclusive bargaining rights. It is meant to ensure teams do not engage in bidding wars against each other, which proved to be one of the many reasons previous professional soccer ventures in North America failed, notably the Pelé-era North American Soccer League. 

It is not, as its name entails, a “discovery,” and there is no definition that Inter Miami discovered Casemiro. However, the team would not have been able to negotiate with the player until it acquired the discovery rights, which the L.A. Galaxy held for the Brazilian star. 

“I have attempted for over two years to have the rules changed in the league,” Mas said. “I do not think the discovery process benefits any MLS clubs, other than entering negotiations over players that they have no idea about. If that rule changes or not, we will see. This league having a list of players that is not made public is something we should move forward with.”

According to multiple reports, the Galaxy filed a tampering claim against Miami. Casemiro, meanwhile, said that he had no intention of playing for any club other than the Herons, and it is not known whether the Galaxy made a bona fide offer to the 34-year-old. 

After blasting the rule, Mas ensured fans that the club had done everything correctly and did not tamper in the process. However, rumors had linked Casemiro and Miami together for months before the signing, despite no announced deal to send the rights from the Galaxy to south Florida.  

“In the league, there is the discovery rule; Casemiro was on the list of the L.A. Galaxy. I do not feel it has been reported accurately what the implications of the Discovery List really mean,” Mas said.

“In this case, the executives at Inter Miami, especially Alberto Marrero, respected the letter of the MLS law regarding the Discovery List. We did not enter talks until we settled with the L.A. Galaxy. We abided; we did not enter negotiations with Casemiro or his reps without talking to the Galaxy and the league until given the green light.”

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Will Casemiro Stay With Inter Miami?

Casemiro is not in danger of leaving Inter Miami. | Image courtesy of @InterMiamiCF on X

Having put pen to paper on a deal through 2026–27 with an option through 2028–29 and having made his debut in a 1–0 win over CF Montréal, Casemiro is at no risk of being stripped from Inter Miami’s roster. Yet, there remains a possibility that the club could face punishments should the investigation show that they skirted MLS’s regulations. 

For Casemiro, though, it won’t change the situation. The midfielder told reporters that he had spoken directly with the Galaxy. He informed them that he intended to join Inter Miami, in a similar fashion to how Thomas Müller declined FC Cincinnati in 2025, before joining Vancouver Whitecaps. 

In the Müller deal, Vancouver sent Cincinatti $400,000 in General Allocation Money in exchange for the German’s Discovery Rights. 

“I spoke to the Galaxy a while ago. I left it very clear to them that I wanted to join Miami because, in the end, it’s a city I love. My wife, my kids and I are always here when we have days off. We know the city,” Casemiro said. “When I spoke to [the Galaxy], I made it very clear which team I wanted to join in MLS, and that is Inter Miami because of the project, the hope and of course to play with the best player of all time.”

There won’t be any awkward situation of Casemiro taking on the Galaxy this season unless the two meet in the MLS Cup final in December. At that point, the rules could shift as well, with a new commissioner set to take over MLS, potentially changing the Discovery Rights process and other roster-building mechanisms.

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