*This content was translated by AI.
U.S. professional soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami has signed Brazilian veteran midfielder Casemiro (34). However, the MLS office has raised suspicions of violating the pre-contact prohibition rule (tampering) during the acquisition process and launched an official investigation. Tampering refers to the illegal act of a club secretly approaching a player's side to discuss a transfer without the consent of their original club or the club holding negotiation rights.
Inter Miami officially announced the signing of Casemiro, who became a free agent (FA) after leaving Manchester United, on the 23rd (Korean time). The contract runs until summer 2027 and includes an option to extend until June 2029. Casemiro will be registered as a regular player rather than a designated player (DP) at the club and has been assigned jersey number 5.
Casemiro is a world-class defensive midfielder who played for Sao Paulo, Real Madrid, FC Porto, and Manchester United. During his time at Real Madrid, he won the UEFA Champions League (UCL) five times and recently represented his national team in the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup.
Casemiro, wearing the Inter Miami jersey, stated upon joining the club: "I will repay the club's trust with every training session and 90-minute match. I will give everything for Miami."
Co-owner David Beckham said, "I have long admired Casemiro both as a player and as a person. I am delighted that he chose Miami." Co-owner Jorge Mas also emphasized, "This signing reflects our vision of building the best club in the United States and globally."
With Casemiro's addition, Inter Miami has built an even stronger squad alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Behind this flashy acquisition lies controversy over rule violations. Sports outlet 'The Athletic' reported on the 23rd that "the MLS office detected signs of tampering during Inter Miami's acquisition of Casemiro and has begun an investigation."
MLS operates a 'Discovery Rights' system to prevent indiscriminate competition among clubs for player acquisitions. This system, designed to curb excessive bidding wars when foreign players join MLS, grants the club that first registers a specific player exclusive priority negotiation rights.
The right to negotiate exclusively with Casemiro belonged to LA Galaxy. Inter Miami agreed to pay compensation to LA Galaxy and take over this right. However, the final compensation amount will be determined based on the outcome of this tampering investigation. The MLS office stated in a press release: "We are collecting relevant information and have no further comments until the review is complete."
This is not the first time Inter Miami has faced controversy over rule violations. In 2021, the club was found to have circumvented salary cap regulations by improperly registering players such as Blaise Matuidi. At that time, the club received a fine of $2 million (approximately 2.9 billion won), and owner Mas was fined $250,000 (approximately 300 million won). The club had its allocation reduced by a total of $2.27125 million (approximately 3.3 billion won) over two years, and then-general manager Paul McDonough received a one-year suspension.
Last summer, the club also clashed with the MLS office over sanctions for Messi and Jordi Alba's non-participation in the All-Star Game.
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*This content was translated by AI.
