FIFA has sparked outrage among the Major League Soccer ranks by gifting Inter Miami a golden ticket to the Club World Cup.
Gianni Infantino made waves on Sunday with the bombshell that David Beckham’s own Miami squad is set to be one of the 32 teams duking it out in the cup. Despite FIFA keeping quiet on how they picked the teams, Beckham’s club was handed the host nation’s spot on a silver platter.
The club bagged their place in the global showdown for clinching the Supporters’ Shield the gong for the MLS team smashing it out of the park with the best regular-season score.
Boasting ex-Barca legends Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets, the crew wrapped up the season with a record-busting 74 points.
And not content with just making the cut, Miami have also been cherry-picked to kick off the opening match of the Club World Cup.
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“Miami loves football, the world loves football and the world loves Miami. So I have three things to tell you,” declared Infantino, stirring up excitement at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale post Miami’s drubbing of New England Revolution on Sunday, reports the Mirror.
“The first: many congratulations for winning the Supporters’ Shield. And on top, with the record of points in Major League Soccer. Congratulations, you are the best team of the season in America. Second, based on this outstanding performance of this year you deserve to be, and you will be, for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.”
“And third, as the host team of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, you will have the honour of opening the tournament by hosting the opening game here in Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium in front of 65,000 people and tens of millions at home.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Infantino was thrilled to break the news to Inter Miami fans following their team’s victory as MLS Eastern Conference champions. However, the decision has sparked controversy among other MLS teams, who believe FIFA is showing favouritism.
The Club World Cup has struggled to attract broadcasters, with many declining to bid for the rights, and Messi’s inclusion is certainly a welcome boost. Fans from other clubs have expressed frustration over perceived double standards between Beckham’s glamorous franchise and the rest of the league.
One disgruntled fan took to Twitter, stating: “They just need Messi in the tournament. Can’t fault them for wanting that but the lack of process for this was pretty ridiculous”. Another chimed in: “The criteria was always the same. Whichever team had Lionel Messi was gonna qualify”.
A third chimed in: “Even if Miami had the worst season of their history, they would have still gotten the spot. The fact that there was no criteria to get the spot means that FIFA and the MLS intended to ask Miami to fill in the final spot, they just needed a good excuse.”