Inter Miami says it has not agreed to compete in Saudi Arabia next February, denying reports made earlier Tuesday by a promoter that the MLS team will face two Saudi clubs.
The US team denied that any pre-season tour arrangements had been finalized, hours after it was announced that Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr will play, along with another match against Al-Hilal in the Riyadh Season Cup in February.
“Earlier today, an announcement was issued stating that Inter Miami CF is scheduled to play in the Riyadh Season Cup. This is inaccurate,” the Inter Miami statement said.
“The release included statements attributed to team owner Jorge Mas. Mas has made no comments, publicly or privately, in relation to the pre-season tour.”
Inter Miami said earlier this month that a planned trip to China for matches had been cancelled owing to “unforseen circumstances in China.”
A rematch between Messi and Ronaldo proved too good to be true in this case, according to Inter Miami’s statement.
“Since day one, Inter Miami has set out to be a global brand. To this end, we have been in conversations to determine our 2024 pre-season schedule,” the statement said.
“We look forward to showcasing our players on Inter Miami’s first international tour, which will be announced in the coming weeks.”