Messi no-show triggers MLS and Vancouver Whitecaps legal payout
Major League Soccer and the Vancouver Whitecaps have agreed to pay half a million Canadian dollars to settle a legal claim made because Lionel Messi was withdrawn from a match.
A man from the Vancouver area brought the civil class action after paying more than $400 for two tickets to the game between the Whitecaps and Messi’s Inter Miami in May 2025.
The Canadian club had promoted the fixture heavily, tapping into the Messi-mania throughout MLS by using him and fellow Miami star Luis Suarez in advertising materials.
But Messi, Suarez and Sergio Busquets were all rested for the match, leading to a backlash from fans who had already bought tickets in the hope of seeing the marquee players.
The claim, which represented around 50,000 ticketholders, accused MLS and the Whitecaps of a “classic case of bait-and-switch”, having only revealed the trio’s absence two days in advance.
The league and home club both denied liability, arguing that they had no influence over Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino’s eventual team selection.
But the British Columbia Supreme Court this week approved a settlement of CAN $475,000 (£260,000), which will be distributed to local sports-related charities.
Messi claim ‘novel and complex’
The Whitecaps have also agreed to advertise more prominently terms and conditions which make clear that individual players may not necessarily play in matches, according to the Canadian Press.
“I accept that this is a novel and complex claim that there are a number of possible defences available,” said the judge, Justice Andrew Majawa. “The settlement is not required to be perfect.”
Messi has generated huge interest in MLS since joining Inter Miami, which is co-owned by David Beckham, in 2023 and led the club to a first championship last year.
Amid a backlash around the time of the fixture, the Whitecaps offered to compensate fans for the absence of Messi by offering discounted food and free tickets to other games.
It was not enough to placate many customers, however, some of whom said they had travelled from outside North America to attend the game.
A Whitecaps spokesperson told The Athletic they confirmed “that the settlement of the class action lawsuit relating to the club’s May 25, 2024, MLS regular season match against Inter Miami CF has received approval of the British Columbia Supreme Court. The settlement will be implemented in accordance with the terms in the settlement agreement.”