David Beckham embroiled in Inter Miami scandal amid Lionel Messi accusation

FIFA's decision to grant Inter Miami a spot in the Club World Cup has triggered controversy within Major League Soccer (MLS). Gianni Infantino, FIFA's president, confirmed on Sunday that Miami is one of the 32 teams selected to compete in the tournament set to take place from June 15 to July 13 in the United States.

Inter Miami, owned by David Beckham, has secured the host nation slot despite previous non-disclosure of selection criteria by FIFA. The team has qualified for the tournament by clinching the Supporters' Shield – awarded to the MLS team with the best regular season performance.

They broke records with a total of 74 points in their regular season and feature former Barcelona players including Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets. Whilst they still head into the MLS playoffs to vie for the league championship title, they have already bagged a significant opportunity for the next summer.

As hosts, they are slated to play in the opening game of the Club World Cup. "Miami loves football, the world loves football and the world loves Miami. So I have three things to tell you," announced Infantino while addressing a crowd at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale following Inter Miami's victory over New England Revolution.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino was thrilled to share the news with Inter Miami supporters as their team clinched the MLS Eastern Conference title. He said: "The first: many congratulations for winning the Supporters' Shield. And on top, with the record of points in Major League Soccer. Congratulations, you are the best team of the season in America. Second, based on this outstanding performance of this year you deserve to be, and you will be, for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.", reports the Mirror.

"And third, as the host team of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, you will have the honour of opening the tournament by hosting the opening game here in Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium in front of 65,000 people and tens of millions at home."

However, this announcement has not been well received by other MLS teams, who have levelled accusations of favouritism against FIFA. The Club World Cup has struggled to attract broadcaster interest, and the inclusion of star player Lionel Messi is seen as a significant draw.

Discontent has been brewing among fans of other clubs, who perceive unfair treatment compared to Beckham's high-profile franchise.

One disgruntled fan expressed their frustration on Twitter, saying: "They just need Messi in the tournament. Can't fault them for wanting that but the lack of process for this was pretty ridiculous". Another echoed the sentiment, commenting: "The criteria was always the same. Whichever team had Lionel Messi was gonna qualify".

In a final sharp critique, another observed: "Even if Miami had the worst season of their history, they would have still gotten the spot. The fact that there was no criteria to get the spot means that FIFA and the MLS intended to ask Miami to fill in the final spot, they just needed a good excuse."