AFA hits back at Messi friendly lawsuit claims

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has rejected allegations in a US lawsuit that a Florida promoter was misled over Lionel Messi’s participation in two Argentina exhibition matches, signalling a hardline legal defence that could test how appearance-driven tour contracts are structured.Miami-based Vid Music Group has sued Messi and the AFA over a reported US$7m agreement tied to Argentina friendlies against Venezuela and Puerto Rico staged in October 2025, with the promoter arguing the commercial value depended on Messi playing.“AFA is aware of the lawsuit filed by VID Music Group and its principal, Javier Fernandez. AFA fully performed all of its obligations under the relevant agreements, including delivering the Argentine national team for both matches in October 2025.“The contracts, payment records, and contemporaneous communications tell the full story, and AFA is prepared to present them in the appropriate forum. AFA will defend this matter vigorously and will pursue collection of the millions of dollars owed to it by the very parties who filed this lawsuit.“The dispute centres on the Venezuela match on October 10 at Hard Rock Stadium, where the promoter claims Messi was contractually required to play a minimum amount of time unless injured, but did not take the pitch and instead watched from a suite.Vid has also tied its losses to disruption around the second match, which was moved from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale, arguing the change damaged ticket sales and wider revenue expectations even though Messi did appear in that fixture.The case has broader significance for the fast-growing exhibition and tour market, where promoters frequently underwrite venue rental, event production and marketing on the assumption that a single star will deliver demand across ticketing, sponsorship and broadcast.It also highlights a recurring structural tension in football’s commercial calendar, where player availability can be shaped by club workloads, international management decisions and medical assessments that sit outside a promoter’s control.AFA’s decision to state publicly that it will also pursue money it says is owed by the promoter raises the prospect of counterclaims or a separate collections process, which would add complexity to any settlement talks.Messi has not publicly addressed the claims, and the timeline for any court hearing remains unclear, but both sides appear to be preparing for a contested process rather than a rapid resolution.