David Beckham’s Inter Miami in hot water as it’s revealed they ‘broke MLS budget rules’ over the signing of Blaise Matuidi from Juventus after paying midfielder ‘more than was allowed’ under salary cap rules
- Inter Miami are said to have broken budget rules by signing Blaise Matuidi
- The club stated they use targeted allocation money for the midfielder’s signing
- The MLS have stated that the club paid the World Cup winner more than allowed
- This would effectively have given them more ‘designated players’ than allowed
- Inter Miami already had the maximum of three designated players during 2020
David Beckham‘s Inter Miami are said to have broken Major League Soccer budget rules over the signing of Blaise Matuidi from Juventus.
The French World Cup winner joined the MLS side in August last year, with Inter Miami stating they used targeted allocation money (TAM) for the signing.
However, as reported by the BBC, the MLS have now said that Matuidi was paid more than was allowed.
David Beckham’s Inter Miami are under investigation over the signing of Blaise Matuidi
Matuidi is said to have been paid more in wages than is permitted under MLS budget rules
This effectively gave the team four ‘designated players’ last season rather than the permitted three.
MLS have said the final results of the investigation, including sanctions, will be announced in due course.
Designated players’ wages do not count towards the MLS salary cap and each team is allowed two-high priced designated players whose wages exceed the league’s salary cap.
They are also allowed a third if the club made a $150,000 payment (£108,000) to the league split among the other sides.
An investigation by the MLS is said to have discovered that Matuidi was paid above the limit for a TAM player and should have been classed as a designated player.
Inter Miami already had three designated players for 2020 including Matias Pellegrini, Rodolfo Pizarro and Matuidi’s former Juventus teammate Gonzalo Higuain who also joined the club last year.
Inter Miami already had three designated players including striker Gonzalo Higuain
For the 2021 season, Matuidi has been registered as a designated player alongside Higuain and Mexican midfielder Pizarro.
As a result, Miami have had to buy out the contract of Argentine midfielder Matias Pellegrini, who will join Fort Lauderdale – Miami’s USL League One club – on loan and will not be eligible to play in the MLS this season.
Known as the ‘Beckham rule’ the designated players laws were introduced when the former England captain joined Los Angeles Galaxy back in 2007.
Beckham was given at the time an option to purchase an expansion franchise, later becoming a co-owner of Inter Miami who played their first game in March 2020.
The side finished 10th of 14 teams in the Eastern Conference last season, losing to Nashville 3-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
Inter Miami are now coached by Beckham’s former Manchester United teammate Phil Neville as they approach their second season in the MLS.