Officials of the American Football League are considering making an unprecedented decision regarding matches that take place during the international breaks, in which the teams engage in official and international friendly confrontations.
It is customary in the United States for matches to continue during the international period, known as “FIFA Days”, but it seems that this matter will change soon, especially after the arrival of Argentine star Lionel Messi to Inter Miami last July.
And the French “RMC Sport” network confirmed that “MLS” officials are considering stopping the competition, so that the clubs do not lose their international players, similar to what is happening with Inter Miami, and if this step is approved, it will be implemented starting from the new season.
For his first regular season goal for the club 🎉
Cremaschi ▶️ Messi!#RBNYvMIA | 0-2 pic.twitter.com/jyzfCqMKwQ
– Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) August 27, 2023
It is scheduled that Messi will join the Argentine national team – who will start next month the South American qualifiers campaign for the 2026 World Cup finals – after the end of the Inter Miami and Nashville match in the American League, after which the club will have to allow Messi to join the “tango dancers”.
Inter Miami, who has not lost a match since Messi arrived, will lose the services of its Argentine star in 3 matches against Los Angeles, Kansas City Wizards and Atlanta United on September 4, 10 and 17, respectively.
Argentina will play against Ecuador and Bolivia on Friday and Tuesday 8 and 12 next month, in the first two rounds of the Latin qualifiers for the World Cup in America, Mexico and Canada.
Argentine Gerardo Martino, coach of Inter Miami, commented on Messi’s absence because of his patriotic duty, saying: “We must get used to it. We will miss at least 3 games and we must continue to win.”
He added, “I understand that they are studying the matter (suspension of matches), and it is possible that this will happen next year.”
Seven games into his @InterMiamiCF career & already lifting trophies…
All the moments from a magical night for Leo Messi. ✨ pic.twitter.com/nweCDjiKy8
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 20, 2023
Messi will not be the only one absent from Inter Miami during the international break, because his teammates DeAndre Yadlin, Kamal Miller, and Sergey Krivtsov will join their countries, namely the United States, Canada and Ukraine, respectively, while Spaniard Jordi Alba decided to retire internationally, according to Spanish reports.
The NBA regulations allow clubs to reschedule their matches during the international break, which is what happened with Inter Miami. Because of the team’s preoccupation with the League Cup – which it won – its match against Charlotte, which was scheduled for the 20th of this month, was postponed.
Until this step is approved, Inter Miami must find solutions for the period in which Messi will be denied services, given that the team occupies the penultimate position in the eastern section of the league championship.
Since Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami, the team has not lost any match, but rather achieved the first championship in its history, which is the Leagues Cup, and reached the final match of the America’s Cup, and the Argentine star played 9 matches, during which he scored 11 goals and provided 3 assists.
Messi’s positive impact does not only depend on the sporting results of Inter Miami on the field, but his arrival caused a massive economic recovery, according to the Spanish newspaper “Sport”.
Ticket sales for Inter Miami reached about $265 million, a record the club has not reached throughout its history. More than 300,000 new subscribers because of Messi joined the Apple TV platform – the American League rights owner – and collected $29.7 million.
