David Beckham's Inter Miami FIFA scandal takes new twist following Lionel Messi quit claims
MLS side Inter Miami are set to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup next summer despite not winning their respective league and it has led to claims that Lionel Messi could quit
by Daniel Orme · The MirrorInter Miami are set to be one of the top seeds at the controversial Club World Cup despite fury at their qualification.
The Major League Soccer side are set to play at next summer’s 32-team tournament. It will be the first edition of the tournament since it has undergone a dramatic overhaul by FIFA.
Inter Miami - owned by Manchester United icon David Beckham - booked their spot at the tournament in controversial fashion. They will not be arriving at the tournament as MLS champions having lost out to Atlanta United in the playoffs.
They were however still the top-performing side across the regular season having accumulated 74 points in the Eastern Conference - an MLS record. But some have criticised the decision to give them a place at the Club World Cup.
Regardless, FIFA are still set to give them an important role. According to The Times, Inter Miami will be named as one of the top seeds for the upcoming draw.
The American side will open the tournament as one of the clubs from the host nation, although specific seeding criteria has yet to be shared. Tournament regulations however state: “Fifa Council or the relevant committee which will divide the teams into groups by seeding and drawing lots in public at the draw, while taking sporting and geographical factors into consideration as far as possible”.
While Inter Miami are assured of their spot, FIFA could be without one of their star attractions - Lionel Messi. The MLS side’s boss Tata Martino recently admitted that the Argentine’s spell stateside could be coming to a close soon.
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"I actually don't know how limited [Messi's time in this league] is," he said after the defeat to Atlanta. "There is a question of time passing, but I would not dare to say that it is so short.
"If you look at the context in which this began, it seems to me that the progress of the club is important. The comparison of the last game of last season, back in October, with today's third game in the playoffs and this bitterness that we all have for not having progressed, is clear that the club's objectives have been modified and I think there is no reason for the club not to continue trying next year.
"What happened this year, the bad and the good in general have been better than everything that happened last year and I would say even from the entire life of the club."
The Club World Cup gets underway on June 11 next summer. All but one of the 32 teams have been named, the final side to book their spot being the 2024 Copa Libertadores winners. Premier League sides Chelsea and Manchester City are also set to take part.
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