Why Lionel Messi Is Being Sued in Multi-Million Dollar Case

Messi, the Argentine soccer federation and a shadowy, unnamed agent have all come under scrutiny.

Lionel Messi has found himself at the center of a legal claim. | Eston Parker/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Lionel Messi and the Argentine soccer federation (AFA) have been accused of breaching a $7 million contract in a lawsuit filed by VID Music Group.

The crux of the complaint comes down to Messi’s failure to appear in a friendly between Argentina and Venezuela last October which was organized by VID, a Miami-based event company, under the impression that one of the world’s most celebrated players would feature.

VID claim that Messi’s absence, which was supposedly not forewarned, and subsequent low ticket sales “lost millions,” according to ESPN, who have examined the court records. There have even been accusations of “fraud” regarding a shadowy, unnamed agent in a case which threatens to be a thorn in the side of Inter Miami’s captain.

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What Happened?

Messi scores and his @Argentina teammates were loving it 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/EGgHC3BieC

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 12, 2025

In August 2025, VID claim to have been approach by a representative of the AFA regarding the prospect of staging two friendlies for Argentina in the U.S., less than one year ahead of the World Cup on American soil. The lawsuit, as cited by The Athletic, states that VID paid the AFA $7 million for this privilege in return for all ticket, broadcast and sponsorship revenue.

In the days leading up to Argentina’s first fixture against Venezuela on Oct. 10 at South Florida’s Hard Rock Stadium, Messi’s involvement was cast in doubt. “We spoke to [Messi], as we have with all the players, and we have not decided on the lineup yet,” the national team manager Lionel Scaloni told assembled media the day before the game.

“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.”

Messi duly sat out the fixture, failing to even make the bench. However, he was fit enough to not only start but star in Inter Miami’s 4–0 thumping of Atlanta United the following night. Messi scored twice and set up Jordi Alba in a win which ensured that Miami would have home field advantage heading into the MLS Cup playoffs.

With league business wrapped up, Messi started the second of Argentina VID friendlies, setting up two goals in a 6–0 win over Puerto Rico at Chase Stadium, Florida.

• Friday, Oct. 10, 2025: Argentina beat Venezuela while Messi watches from the stands
• Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025: Lionel Messi starts and stars in 4–0 Inter Miami win vs. Atlanta
• Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025: Messi starts in 6–0 Argentina win over Puerto Rico

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What Has Messi Been Accused of?

Lionel Messi did not feature for Argentina against Venezuela in October 2025. | Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

Messi’s failure to feature against Venezuela is framed in an unflattering light by the legal complaint.

During discussions with a third-party agent, The Athletic report that Messi has been accused of “conspiring” to convince VID of his involvement in the friendlies—supposedly agreeing to play at least 30 minutes of both—so that they would sign the lucrative deal with the AFA “under false pretenses.” In legal terms, this is known as “tortious interference.”

Even after the documents had been signed, Messi allegedly “represented to the public and to VID that he would appear in the game.”

The events company argued that the player should have had prior knowledge of his inability to feature long before VID were informed—which supposedly only took place one day before the Venezuela game.

The private box from which Messi watched the friendly unfold was also financed by VID, the company allege.

A statement from VID’s counsel, Ralph Patino, described Messi’s anticipated participation as “a material term of the agreements, forming a central component of the contracts and directly tied to the commercial viability of the matches.”

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Further Allegations

AFA president Claudio Tapia (left) and Lionel Messi are both in the spotlight. | Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

This lawsuit is not simply a case of two fumbled friendlies. VID claim to have penned the initial agreement under the expectation of staging (and profiting from) future fixtures, including a contest against World Cup co-hosts Mexico, as reported by the Miami Herald.

The AFA have been accused of “negligent misrepresentation and alleged breaches of contract” while the agent acting as the go-between for VID and the national association is thought to be faced with the charge of “fraud.” The AFA allegedly selected this representative, whose FIFA match agent licence had already expired at the time of negotiations.

In purely monetary values, VID claim to have been entitled to 25% of the value of the contract ($1.75 million) if Messi did not feature. The AFA’s supposed failure to pay this sum is framed as a breach of the agreed upon terms. However, the complaint does not state an explicit value for damages.

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How Has Lionel Messi Responded?

Lionel Messi is in the twilight on his legendary career. | Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Neither Messi nor the AFA (or the unnamed mystery agent) have commented publicly.

The case was filed at Miami-Dade circuit court in March but only broke into the public sphere in April when court records were examined.

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