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Bruce Arena has criticized Lionel Messi and Inter Miami's qualification in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The veteran coach has managed teams like New England, LA Galaxy, DC United, and the USMNT in an illustrious managerial career.
Inter Miami have had a meteoric rise in recent times with juggernauts like Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suarez elevating the club to unprecedented levels. They have already won the Supporters' Shield after topping the MLS Eastern Conference table with a record-breaking 74 points.
On October 19, the club officially announced that Inter Miami will play in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. It is FIFA's flagship club tournament consisting of the top 32 sides from across the globe and will be hosted by the United States next year. The Herons will host the opening game on June 15.
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However, the club's qualification hasn't gone down well with Bruce Arena, who explained that the selection was allegedly wrong. He said (via talkSPORT):
"It's clearly marketing, for sure. Is Inter Miami the sole representative of Major League Soccer? If that's the case, I think that's wrong."
However, he agreed that Lionel Messi's inclusion would bring a plethora of marketing opportunities for the club and the league.
A FIFA Club World Cup spot is generally awarded to the best team in the MLS. However, the MLS playoffs have just begun and the winner of the MLS Cup will not be announced until December this year. The Herons winning the Supporters' Shield only means that they were the best team in the Eastern Conference this season.
Therefore, Messi and Co. will play in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup even if they lose the MLS Cup.
USMNT legend Alexi Lalas criticizes Inter Miami and Lionel Messi's FIFA Club World Cup qualification
Bruce Arena's thoughts on Inter Miami's qualification were recently echoed by former USMNT defender Alexi Lalas. The 54-year-old highlighted the lack of a structured qualification process and called the system 'disingenuous.'
In an interview on the State of the Union podcast, Lalas said (via talkSPORT),:
"Anytime you see a headline saying Lionel Messi and Inter Miami qualified - they qualified in the mind of Gianni Infantino and FIFA. There was no qualifying process laid out ahead of time. When teams and players don't know what they're ultimately playing for, I think it's disingenuous to say that you qualified for a tournament."
He further criticized FIFA President Gianni Infantino, accusing him of using Lionel Messi as a promotional stunt.
"Gianni Infantino even said they will be hosting the first game in Miami, so it's all about Miami and Messi, using him as a promotional vehicle for this Club World Cup that needs promotion," said Lalas.
Despite the criticism, the FIFA Club World Cup will give Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez, and Jordi Alba to face European titans like Manchester City, Chelsea, and Real Madrid.
