Home / Sports / Inter Miami Faces MLS Tampering Probe
Inter Miami Faces MLS Tampering Probe
22 Jul
Summary
- MLS is investigating Inter Miami for potential tampering violations.
- LA Galaxy held discovery rights for midfielder Casemiro.
- Inter Miami has a history of salary cap and reporting violations.
Major League Soccer (MLS) is currently investigating Inter Miami CF for potential violations of tampering rules concerning the recent signing of Brazilian midfielder Casemiro.
The league confirmed it is gathering all pertinent information and will not comment further until the review is finalized. While Inter Miami and the LA Galaxy have reached a settlement regarding Casemiro's discovery rights, the specifics of this agreement will be disclosed after the tampering investigation concludes.
Historically, the LA Galaxy possessed the league's priority to negotiate with Casemiro, known as "discovery rights," intended to prevent teams from competing against each other for targeted players. These rights are typically secured before a team contacts a potential signing.
This is not the first instance of Inter Miami facing league scrutiny. In 2021, an investigation revealed the club had circumvented salary cap rules. This led to the suspension of former COO and sporting director Paul McDonough for one year, a $2 million fine for the club, and an additional $250,000 fine for managing owner Jorge Mas. Consequently, Inter Miami forfeited a total of $2,271,250 million in allocation money across 2022 and 2023.
Previous violations involved misreporting player salaries, such as listing Blaise Matuidi below the designated player threshold while significantly overpaying him without league notification. Additionally, the investigation found that Andrés Reyes should have been classified as a Designated Player, and undisclosed agreements led to underreporting of salary budget numbers for other players including Leandro González Pírez, Nicolas Figal, and Julian Carranza.
Casemiro, aged 34, joins Inter Miami on a non-Designated Player deal initially, with a contract extending through the summer of 2027 and an option for extension until the summer of 2029. His arrival underscores the club's ambition. Casemiro had a strong season for Manchester United, scoring nine goals in 33 starts and helping the team secure Champions League qualification. He also represented Brazil in the World Cup, earning 91 caps for his country. His career includes a successful tenure at Real Madrid, where he won five Champions League titles and three league titles.
