David Beckham’s Inter Miami fined $2 million over defender’s transfer

The club broke roster designation rules

Inter Miami have been fined $2 million following an investigation into their signing of former French international Blaise Matuidi. The club, owned by English footballing legend David Beckham, were found to have breached roster designation rules when signing the World Cup winner and Colombian defender Andres Reyes. Beckham himself was cleared of any wrongdoing, but Managing owner Jorge Mas was fined $250,000 because he had an obligation to make sure the rules were followed. MLS roster designation rules state: "In addition to the Salary Budget, each MLS club may spend additional funds on player compensation including money from a League-wide allocation pool (General Allocation Money), discretionary amounts of Targeted Allocation Money, the cost of Designated Players outside the Salary Budget, the cost of U22 Initiative Slots outside the Salary Budget, and money spent on the Supplemental Roster (roster slots 21-30)." MLS' report also found didn't disclose certain agreements in the contracts of Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, Nicolas Figal and Julian Carranza, leading to the salaries of the three players being underreported. Inter Miami claimed they used targeted allocation money to sign Matuidi, but the investigation found Matuidi should have been a designated player. "The integrity of our rules is sacrosanct, and it is a fundamental principle of our league that our clubs are responsible for adhering to all league regulations," MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. "Our rules will not be compromised. These sanctions reflect the severity of Inter Miami’s violations, should encourage complete cooperation by all parties in future investigations, and will serve as a deterrent for clubs from violating roster rules." The players involved were not aware of any violations, and their contracts remain active.