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With Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi missing time with an ankle injury, the Chicago Fire are offering a sweet deal to fans who want to see the soccer icon. The MLS club is giving fans an incentive to attend the Fire’s home matchup against Inter Miami on August 31 with or without the Argentinian midfielder, by offering credit if Messi does not play.
In the event that Messi is still out at the end of August, Chicago will give what it calls the “Fan-First Credit Guarantee.” In a press release, the team says that the incentive will encourage fans to fill Soldier Field in a sold-out home crowd, regardless of Messi’s injury status.
If Messi is unavailable to play at the match, fans who bought tickets will receive one of three benefits: credit toward season-ticket membership, complimentary tickets to the Fire’s fan appreciation match in October, or single-match tickets to next year’s matchup against Inter Miami. The perks, per the team, are dependent on the date of purchase.
To ensure a full stadium and to create the best possible experience for all in attendance at our 8/31 match, the Fire are offering the Fan-First Credit Guarantee.
Depending on your date of purchase, if Messi is unavailable on 8/31, fans will receive credit toward:
🎟️ Season… pic.twitter.com/iJAjSeXKRN— Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) July 19, 2024
Messi sustained a nasty ankle injury during the Copa América Final on Monday, missing the end of the match as Argentina defeated Colombia, 1-0. The injury, which Inter Miami announced as a ligament injury on his right ankle, is set to keep him out for at least the next two games. Messi, who is Inter Miami’s captain, attended the team’s 3-1 home win over Toronto on Wednesday but stayed in the stands.
Chicago‘s contingency plan is probably based on what happened last year, when more than 61,000 fans bought tickets for a glimpse of Messi at Soldier Field, only for the Argentinian to be absent from the starting lineup. Messi missed a long stretch of games last fall, including the October match against Chicago, with what was described as “muscle fatigue.”
The Fire attempted to make up for Messi’s then-unknown injury status by offering fans a $250 account credit toward a membership for the 2024 season for fans who bought single-game tickets for the match.
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With Messi’s popularity a factor in an uptick in MLS ticket sales, Chicago is not the only team to add a Messi clause to ticket purchases, or to adjust to Messi’s absence.
In November, the New York Red Bulls‘ special two-game holiday ticket pack, where fans could get tickets to RBNY’s home opener and the Hudson River Derby against New York City FC, included a clause in the event that the home opener ended up being against Inter Miami. (RBNY ended up playing Nashville SC for the home opener, so the clause did not come into effect.)
In May, after Messi and fellow Inter Miami stars Sergio Busquets and Luis Suárez did not travel to Vancouver for the team’s matchup against the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Whitecaps made stadium concessions 50% off in an attempt to raise the spirits of attendees.
Inter Miami plays Chicago on Saturday in Ft. Lauderdale, marking the first time the two will meet this season. If Messi sticks to the two-game injury timeline, his next opportunity to play would be at a pair of Leagues Cup matches on July 27 and August 3.