Due to the significant predicament MLS teams are in, superstar Lionel Messi of Inter Miami may decide to skip several games.
Messi will sign for Inter Miami after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires, it was announced last month after weeks of intense speculation.
Since then, a lot of supporters have been eagerly awaiting the introduction of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Messi was formally introduced as Inter Miami’s new player on Sunday in front of a packed Fort Lauderdale stadium.
Prior to Messi’s debut for his new team, there are worries that the Argentine legend may decline to participate in several MLS games because of the surface.
Messi is reportedly unwilling to play on artificial surfaces, according to the Daily Mirror.
Six MLS teams presently substitute turf for grass in their stadiums. These teams are thought to be the Atlanta United, New England Revolution, Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, Charlotte FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps.
Inter Miami still has road games against Charlotte and Atlanta, so Messi’s absence might be a major financial setback for the clubs and the MLS.
David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have both previously voiced their opposition to artificial surfaces.
As a professional athlete, Beckham told Globe and Mail, “You can’t play a game like soccer on that sort of field. As a soccer player, what it does to your body leaves you in pieces for three days.
Without a doubt, grass should be available for every team and game. Any athlete cannot be expected to compete at their best on FieldTurf.
Ibrahimovic claimed: “By playing on turf, I run the danger of getting hurt. I don’t claim that I shall suffer harm.
“I don’t know; I could get hurt doing regular sports, but there is always a risk and a consequence. I tried to play on the turf in Portland, but I felt awful because the risk is larger there.
Don Garber, the commissioner of Major League Soccer, also addressed the issue.
Every club will decide that when they visit stadiums without natural grass, he said, according to The Athletic.
“I anticipate that’s what they’ll do, but there’s still a lot of work to be done to sort it all out. We have been able to install natural grass in the stadiums where MLS sponsors many international matches, but we have never done so for a regular season match.
“And then you see some of the best players who have ever played the game, the world’s (Thierry) Henrys and Kakas, who played on turf,” he continued. Therefore, I believe that process will need to develop gradually.
