Football world’s biggest star Lionel Messi is embroiled in a serious legal trouble. Vid Music Group, a Miami-based event promoter company, has filed a lawsuit against Messi and the Argentine Football Association (AFA), accusing them of fraud and breach of contract. The case pertains to a contract worth US$7 million (about Rs 65 crore), which was allegedly broken during an exhibition match last year.

According to the lawsuit cited in media reports, the promoter company had purchased exclusive rights to organize and promote Argentina’s international friendly matches. A major condition of the agreement was that if Lionel Messi is not injured then it will be mandatory for him to come on the field for at least 30 minutes in every match. However, the promoter alleges that Messi did not comply with this condition, due to which the brand value of the event fell and they suffered huge financial losses.

Messi seen in VIP box

The main cause of controversy is the match played against Venezuela on 10 October. The promoter claims that during this match, Lionel Messi did not come on the field even once and kept watching the match sitting in the VIP box the entire time. The surprising thing was that the very next day, Messi entered the field for his club ‘Inter Miami’ and scored two brilliant goals. The promoter has argued in the court that Messi was completely fit, yet he deliberately stayed out of the match, which spread anger among the spectators.

The promoter company told the court that they had made this entire investment to cash in on the popularity of Lionel Messi. As soon as the news of Messi not playing spread, the demand for tickets fell. The situation became so bad that the match had to be shifted from Chicago to Florida and ticket prices were reduced to just $25 (about Rs 2000), yet the stadium could not be completely filled. The company says that due to this attitude of Messi, they have also suffered a huge loss in sponsorship and broadcasting revenue.

Difficulties increased before World Cup 2026

This legal dispute has come at a time when the Argentina team is busy preparing for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Messi is currently participating in training camps with the team, but this lawsuit filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court is raising questions on his credibility. Football pundits believe that if Messi and AFA are found guilty, they may have to pay a heavy fine. At present, the eyes of the football world are fixed on the next hearing of this high-profile case.