Inter Miami

Major League Soccer is investigating allegations D.C. United's Taxi Fountas used a racial slur toward Inter Miami's Damion Lowe during Sunday's match between the teams.

Fountas and Lowe were both issued yellow cards in the 62nd minute after a verbal back-and-forth during which the D.C. United forward allegedly used a slur. Lowe informed his teammates of the alleged remark, and players said they considered walking off the field in protest.

Inter Miami coach Phil Neville informed D.C. United coach Wayne Rooney of the allegations, and Rooney removed Fountas from the contest.

“It was a racist comment,” Neville told reporters. “It was unacceptable. A word was used. I think it’s unacceptable in society. A word was used, I think, the worst word in the world. And that’s it, really.”

Rooney declined to comment on the matter aside from acknowledging there was a "complaint."

DeAndre Yedlin said Inter Miami would have left the game had Fountas not been removed. MLS released a statement Sunday saying an investigation would begin "promptly."

“MLS has zero tolerance for abusive and offensive language, and we take these allegations very seriously,” MLS said in a statement.

Inter Miami went on to win the match 3-2. The victory helped keep Inter Miami's playoffs hopes alive, but the triumph was overshadowed by the allegations.

Fountas, who is Greek, is in his first season playing in MLS and is D.C. United's highest-paid player.

Inter Miami CBO Xavier Asensi was asked during an interview with El Mundo Deportivo whether he was prioritizing landing high-profile players from Europe like PSG superstar Lionel Messi, and suggested that was the club's ambition.

"Yes, with some caveats," he said (h/t ESPN). "You can't compare Leo Messi with any other player; he's different. Having said that, what we're looking for is to be the reference point for football in the U.S., and to do that, the important thing is the players and the show that you can put on. To do so, you need the best players, and having them is a genuine objective at this club. In terms of Leo Messi, there's him and then there's everyone else."

Messi, a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner who is arguably the greatest footballer to ever live, would undoubtedly be the biggest star in the history of the MLS were he to ever join Inter Miami, surpassing former league greats like the club's co-owner David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, Kaka and Frank Lampard.

The superstar has been linked to Inter Miami in the past. In May, there were reports that Messi would join the club in the summer of 2023, landing a 35-percent ownership stake in the process. Inter Miami officials denied the report.

Messi's agent also denied those reports at the time, telling Le Parisien (h/t TMZ Sports): "Leo has not yet decided on his future. And if Leo Messi has crossed paths with David Beckham in the last few hours, it is only as part of PSG’s stay in Doha where the former English midfielder plays a role as an ambassador for the next World Cup in Qatar."

While the 35-year-old is no longer in his prime, he still managed six goals and 15 assists for the Ligue 1 champions last year in just 26 league appearances (24 starts), helping to form a devastating attack alongside Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

But the team disappointed in the Champions League yet again, falling to eventual champions Real Madrid in the Round of 16, and Messi didn't exactly light Paris on fire after one of the most shocking transfers in the history of the sport took him away from his childhood club, Barcelona, last summer.

An eventual move to Inter Miami would be just as impactful and noteworthy for the MLS, a league that has struggled to gain the same prominence in world football as European giants like England's Premier League, Spain's La Liga, Germany's Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A or even France's Ligue 1.

And there are mixed reports as to when Messi will consider a contract extension at PSG:

The MLS has provided one last lucrative stop for aging stars in the past, and a Messi signing would be similar. But given his status as arguably the GOAT of world football, it would be an enormous draw for Inter Miami and bring a lot of attention to football in the United States if Messi crossed the Atlantic on a permanent move after his current PSG contract expires next summer.

Lionel Messi may be coming to MLS, but his agent denied a report suggesting it will certainly happen.

According to Alex Candal of DirectTV Sports (h/t Front Office Sports), the Argentina star will purchase 35 percent of Inter Miami in 2023 when his contract expires with Paris Saint-Germain as part of a deal that will see him play for the team as well.

The stake in the team is said to be worth more than $200 million.

However, Messi's agent told Le Parisien (h/t TMZ Sports), "Leo has not yet decided on his future. And if Leo Messi has crossed paths with David Beckham in the last few hours, it is only as part of PSG’s stay in Doha where the former English midfielder plays a role as an ambassador for the next World Cup in Qatar."

That Beckham, who starred for Manchester United, Real Madrid and England's national team before joining the Los Angeles Galaxy in MLS, was mentioned is notable since he is one of Miami's co-owners.

Beckham increased his ownership stake with the franchise in 2021.

Other international stars who have played in MLS in the latter portion of their careers include Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Yet Messi would be the biggest name of all as arguably the greatest soccer player in the sport's history.

The 34-year-old's resume includes seven Ballons d'Or, four UEFA Champions League titles, 10 La Liga titles, two FIFA Men's Player of the Year awards and two UEFA Men's Player of the Year awards.

He played for the Barcelona first team from 2004-05 through 2020-21 before financial issues at the Spanish club led to him leaving as a free agent and joining PSG for the 2021-22 campaign on a two-year contract.

He has won the league title in his first year in Paris but fell short of winning the club's first Champions League title, which was likely its primary aim in bringing Messi to the club.

Tom Sanderson of Forbes noted Messi said in 2020, "I always had the dream of being able to enjoy and have the experience of living in the United States, experience what the league there is like."

Inter Miami would immediately become one of, if not the biggest draw in the league with the star power of Messi.

David Beckham has increased his ownership stake in Inter Miami CF along with brothers Jorge and Jose Mas, the club announced Friday.

The group has bought out the stakes from Marcelo Claure and Masayoshi Son on the way to controlling ownership of the MLS squad.

Beckham released a statement following the move:

We are immensely proud of the progress we’ve made over the past year and a half in Major League Soccer, and we are grateful to have had Marcelo and Masayoshi with us for the first part of our journey. I am more committed than ever to working with my partners and friends Jorge and Jose to build a lasting legacy, developing youth players from our Academy, competing for championships regularly, and most importantly, rooting ourselves into the DNA of our community and South Florida.

Inter Miami is in the midst of its second season after entering the league as an expansion team in 2020.

After finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference a year ago, the club is vying for a playoff spot in 2021. The team entered Friday eighth in the conference, just one point behind seventh-place Atlanta United.

The club has also put together a roster of proven international players, including Gonzalo Higuain, Rodolfo Pizarro and Blaise Matuidi. Though the MLS sanctioned Inter Miami for violating roster guidelines last season, there is still enough exciting talent to compete in the league.

The team's future could be even more exciting if Beckham is able to sign Lionel Messi in the future.

"The club wants it, we'll see," Higuain told ESPN (h/t Chris Burton of Goal.com) of a potential Messi deal.

Beckham was one of the world's most popular players during his prime, starring for Manchester United and Real Madrid while winning six Premier League titles and one La Liga crown. He also helped the Los Angeles Galaxy win two MLS titles late in his career.

The 46-year-old is now looking for even more success from the ownership side.  

Major League Soccer fined Inter Miami CF $2 million for violating the league's salary budget and roster guidelines during the 2020 season.

MLS explained the sanctions in a press release Friday.

The violations included the incorrect roster categorization for players Blaise Matuidi and Andres Reyes who should have occupied a Designated Player slot. The violations also included undisclosed agreements that resulted in the underreporting of salary budget amounts for players Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, Nicolas Figal and Julian Carranza.

In addition to the club's fine, managing owner Jorge Mas was fined $250,000.

Paul McDonough, who worked as Inter Miami's COO and sporting director in 2020, was suspended by MLS through the 2022 campaign.

He had joined Atlanta United as its vice president of soccer operations in January, but the club announced that it had mutually agreed to part ways with him following the news of his suspension.

The league also reduced the club's allocation dollars by $2.3 million for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

MLS made clear that other Inter Miami owners Marcelo Claure, Masayoshi Son, Jose Mas and David Beckham did not do anything wrong. That also goes for the team's players, who were not subjects of the investigation. The league reported their contracts were unaffected.

Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald reported that the $2 million fine was a league record. MLS began play in 1996.

Inter Miami finished 2020 with seven wins, 13 losses and three draws, which landed the expansion franchise 10th in the Eastern Conference. It has two wins, three losses and two draws this year.

Jorge Mas, the joint owner of Inter Miami, has confirmed the club have held talks to discuss a move for Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani.

The club, who are also part owned by former England international David Beckham, will begin competing in Major League Soccer this year and are assembling a squad for their debut season.

Mas told Sky Sports News (h/t MailOnline's Jack Bezants):

"We have had conversations about Cavani, but I don't want to make any comments further than that based on that he is a PSG player at the time.

"We have two of our designated spots open, so we'll see where this ends up. A lot of it depends on the window closing on Friday, so we'll see what happens.

"We'll have a great roster irrespective of our top five choices or not. We'll be bringing a great team to the south of Florida."

Cavani's contract at PSG is up in the summer, and he'd likely be available at a cut price for any suitor who could secure his signature before the transfer window shuts on Friday.

Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been linked with the Uruguayan, and the presence of loan signing Mauro Icardi at the Parc des Princes means PSG could likely afford to be without him in the final months of the campaign.

Cavani has had various fitness issues throughout the season, and he has only made 14 appearances, of which six were starts. During his brief time on the pitch, he has still managed to score five goals and contribute an assist. He only made 33 appearances in all competitions last season because of hamstring and muscle problems.

The forward will be 33 in February, but he's been one of Europe's most prolific hitmen. He joined PSG in 2013 on the back of plundering 104 goals in 138 games for Napoli, and with the Parisians he's bagged 198 in 293, as well as laying on 41 assists.

Nice manager Patrick Vieira has dismissed speculation he could become the manager of David Beckham's new Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami.

Inter Miami, who will join MLS in 2020, are still assembling their playing and coaching staff for their debut season.

Per Goal's Chris Burton, Vieira responded to talk he could be the coach: "At the beginning of the season it was Lyon, today there is Inter Miami and tomorrow it will be Botafogo. I don't know what to say to you."

ESPN's Taylor Twellman had linked the Frenchman with the vacancy:

Vieira is no stranger to MLS, having left his role as Manchester City's reserve team boss to take charge of New York City in January 2016.

He managed the club until June last year, having guided them to second in MLS' Eastern Conference in both of his full campaigns in charge. On both occasions, they lost in the Eastern Conference Playoff semi-finals.

At Nice, the Arsenal legend took them to seventh in Ligue 1 last season, although they scored just 30 goals across the entire 38-game season.

His side have struggled this season with seven defeats in their first 14 league matches, leaving them 15th in the table.

They're only three points above the relegation zone, though they're also the same distance behind sixth-place Montpellier.

SportBusiness' Bob Williams gave his thoughts on why Vieira might be reluctant to return to MLS:

Nice have won just once in all competitions since September 21, so Vieira will be under pressure to turn things around before they slip closer to the bottom three.

Should he be relieved of his duties in the coming weeks, a new project like Inter Miami, akin to the challenge he took on with New York City, in a league where he did quite well could hold some appeal.

However, the standard in top-level European football is much higher. If that's where Vieira wants his career to progress, he needs to prove himself in Europe rather than the United States, so returning to MLS will do him no favours.

David Silva is reportedly primed to join David Beckham's Major League Soccer club Inter Miami next summer. The Manchester City playmaker "is attracted by the idea of becoming the franchise's marquee signing for Miami's inaugural season," per Tony Evans of The Independent.

Meanwhile, former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Beckham "is keen to bring in a Spanish-speaking superstar to maximise interest from south Florida's large Hispanic community."

Beckham, Jorge Mas and Paul McDonough are putting together the Miami squad. So far their efforts have yielded midfielders Matias Pellegrini and Christian Makoun, as well as forward Julian Carranza.

Evans noted how these signings show "the emphasis is on appealing to the Hispanic market." Pellegrini and Carranza are Argentinian, while Makoun hails from Venezuela.

However, Silva will be the key figure, the fulcrum Beckham's team will be built around. It's an idea already appealing to those connected to sport in the city.

The 33-year-old is contracted to City until the end of the season so would miss the start of the new MLS campaign, beginning in March. Silva extended his contract with the Citizens by one year back in 2017, helping the club win a pair of Premier League titles since.

He remains a valuable performer for Pep Guardiola and is still acting as the creative heartbeat for City:

Moving to Miami would represent an about-turn for Silva, who has previously expressed a desire to play for his "local team" Las Palmas once his career with City draws to a close.

Las Palmas likely need Silva's brand of ingenuity more, but there is no doubt having him on the books would be a fillip for Beckham's attempts to make Miami a marketable and competitive force in MLS.

An environmental analysis has found the proposed site for David Beckham's Major League Soccer franchise in Miami contains toxic and illegal levels of soil.

As Joey Flechas of the Miami Herald reported, an assessment at the Melreese golf course has found that "arsenic contamination levels" have reached twice the allowed limit.

"A report by a consultant paints an ugly picture of what lies beneath the golf course—and in some spots, the contamination is right near the surface, as shallow as a half-foot deep," Flechas wrote. "Nearly the entire site is sullied by ash from an old municipal incinerator that was shut down decades ago."

A consultant's report quoted by Flechas noted that assessors have encountered tile, metal, glass, wood fragments and concrete on the plot of land. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez was reportedly informed of the findings on Monday.

World Soccer Talk noted that this is a potentially significant setback for the football club:

Chris Wittyngham of TUDN commented on what appears to be a serious issue for the area:

The 131-acre site was earmarked to be the future home of Inter Miami, as well as a mall and offices.

Suarez said the findings represent "great concerns." 

Per the Associated Press (h/t the Guardian), Commission Chairman Ken Russell said "this is the largest contaminated park in the city's portfolio." 

Environmental firm EE&G found that the amounts of barium and lead also exceeded regulations, according to Flechas. Inter Miami officials estimated the cost to sterilise the site may be in the region of $50 million.

Beckham confirmed last September that his much-anticipated franchise would be called Club Internacional de Futbol Miami. The club will enter MLS in the 2020 season.

David Beckham has been disqualified from driving for six months after being caught using his mobile phone at the wheel.

According to BBC News, the former England captain previously pleaded guilty to the charge after being photographed using the device while driving his car in London on November 21.

The 44-year-old received six points on his licence for the offence, taking his points total to 12, which is the threshold for a ban.

Beckham was also ordered to pay £925 in fines and costs.

The prosecutor said: "Instead of looking straight forward, paying attention to the road he appeared to be looking at his lap."

Beckham's defence explained the ex-Manchester United, Real Madrid and Los Angeles Galaxy star had "no recollection of the day in question or this particular incident."

It is the second time in quick succession Beckham has been accused of a driving offence. The former midfielder and current president of upcoming MLS franchise Inter Miami accepted a speeding notice in September but avoided prosecution because the notice arrived a day late.