Contrary to what a promoter had claimed earlier on Tuesday, Inter Miami says it has not committed to play in Saudi Arabia in February of 2019. The MLS team will not play two Saudi clubs.
The US team denied that any pre-season tour arrangements have been confirmed, hours after it was announced that Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr would play, along with another match against Al-Hilal in the Riyadh Season Cup in February.
“Inter Miami CF is expected to compete in the Riyadh Season Cup, according to a statement released earlier today. This is untrue,” the statement from Inter Miami stated.
“Statements credited to team owner Jorge Mas were included in the release. Mas has not addressed the preseason tour in any way, either in public or personally.”
Eight times Inter Miami is now a sought-after team for international competitions thanks to Ballon d’Or winner Messi, who joined the US team in July and ignited a championship run in the Leagues Cup against US and Mexican clubs.
Inter Miami declared earlier this month that “unforeseen circumstances in China” had forced the cancellation of a scheduled trip to play matches in China.
According to Inter Miami’s statement, this most recent instance was a Messi vs. Ronaldo rematch that seemed too good to be true.
“Inter Miami has aimed to be a worldwide brand from the beginning. In order to do this, we have been in talks to decide on our pre-season schedule for 2024,” the statement read.
“We look forward to showcasing our players on Inter Miami’s first international tour, which will be announced in the coming weeks.”
Last year, Messi, 36, guided Argentina to the World Cup victory.
After moving to Al Nassr in January of last year, Ronaldo played in Saudi Arabia for the first time with a Riyadh All-Star XI that was defeated 5–4 by a Paris Saint-Germain team that included Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Sergio Ramos.