After $7 million lawsuit shakes Lionel Messi, the Argentine Football Association fires back as legal tension grows around disputed matches (Image via Getty)
The story around Lionel Messi has taken a sharp turn. A Florida-based promoter has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit, claiming losses from two October 2025 exhibition matches.
But now, the Argentine Football Association has pushed back strongly. The federation says it followed every part of the agreement and is ready to prove it with documents, payments, and messages.
Argentine Football Association responds to lawsuit involving Lionel Messi and promoter VID Music Group over October 2025 matches
The Argentine Football Association made its stand clear in a statement shared with TMZ Sports. It said, “AFA is aware of the lawsuit filed by VID Music Group and its principal, Javier Fernandez. AFA fully performed all of its obligations under the relevant agreements, including delivering the Argentine national team for both matches in October 2025.”The federation did not stop there. It added, “The contracts, payment records, and contemporaneous communications tell the full story, and AFA is prepared to present them in the appropriate forum.”In simple terms, AFA is saying they did what they promised. They also made it clear this will not end quietly. The statement continued, “AFA will defend this matter vigorously, and will pursue collection of the millions of dollars owed to it by the very parties who filed this lawsuit.”
So instead of stepping back, AFA is now preparing to fight back and even claim money from the promoter.
Promoter claims Lionel Messi absence and venue change caused major losses in exhibition games
The lawsuit was filed by VID Music Group, a promoter based in Florida. According to the complaint, they spent more than $7 million to organize two exhibition matches featuring Argentina.Their main issue centers around the first match on October 10, 2025, against Venezuela. The promoter claims Lionel Messi was supposed to play but did not take the field.
Instead, they say he watched the game from a luxury suite. Without him on the pitch, they believe the event lost its value and failed to meet expectations.For the second match, Messi did play. However, the promoter says problems continued. The game had to be moved from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale due to civil unrest in Illinois. This change, they claim, hurt ticket sales and overall planning, leading to more losses.Because of these issues, VID believes they were not given what they paid for. On the other side, AFA strongly disagrees and insists all obligations were met.As of now, Lionel Messi, who is named in the lawsuit, has not made any public comment on the situation.
