Major League Soccer announce investigation into David Beckham’s Inter Miami over whether the signing of Blaise Matuidi complied with salary budget and roster guidelines… with Frenchman not signed as ‘designated player’
- Blaise Matuidi joined Inter Miami in August last year after leaving Juventus
- The Frenchman was not signed as one of three Designated players allowed
- Now the MLS are investigating if the signing breached salary budget guidelines
- Gonzalo Higuain and Matias Pellegrini were the Designated players brought in
The MLS have launched an investigation into whether Inter Miami violated salary budget and roster guidelines following the signing of Blaise Matuidi.
The France midfielder joined The Herons in August last year on a free transfer following a three-year stint at Juventus.
The 33-year-old made 15 appearances last season for Inter Miami, which is partly owned by David Beckham, but was not signed as a Designated Player.
The MLS have launched an investigation into Inter Miami’s signing of Blaise Matuidi
David Beckham co-owns the MLS side who are being investigated by the league over a possible breach
MLS sides can have up to three Designated Players, who in turn are allowed to receive a salary not taken into consideration in the team’s overall salary cap set at £3.6million ($4.9m).
Midfielder Matuidi however was instead brought to the United States with Targeted Allocation Money, but the league have confirmed an investigation is now underway to determine whether the signing was within the rules.
ESPN report the specific details of the investigation relate to whether Matuidi was paid additional money – with the club’s fully aware – in addition to what was agreed in the player’s deal.
‘Major League Soccer has begun a formal review of Inter Miami CF’s signing of midfielder Blaise Matuidi, specifically investigating whether the signing of the player complied with Major League Soccer’s salary budget and roster guidelines.
Matuidi was signed using Targeted Allocation Money rather than a Designated player
‘MLS will not make further comment until the completion of its investigation.’
The club responded, saying: ‘Inter Miami CF acknowledges the statement made by Major League Soccer today, and we look forward to fully engaging with the league’s review process. We will have no further comment.’
The MLS have strict and meticulous restrictions in place regarding salary caps and how squads should abide by them following the release of the roster rules in March last year.
The overall salary budget for the first 20 players in the squad was £3.55m – although that could have been instead been split across 18 players if that was the club’s preference.
Gonzalo Higuain was one of the Designated players brought in by Inter Miami
Each MLS team was then permitted two ‘Designated’ players who are paid more than the £443,434 maximum budget charge, or £221,717 if they are signed in the summer window.
For Inter Miami, those ‘Designated’ players turned out to be former Chelsea and Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain and Argentine midfielder Matias Pellegrini.
A third ‘Designated’ player is then also allowed if £108,600 is paid to the league to then be divided among other sides.