Inter Miami has signed Brazilian veteran and World Cup midfielder Casemiro on a free transfer, following his strong season with Manchester United. And while it’s an important development for an MLS team seeking to become the league’s first repeat champion since 2012, it hasn’t come without controversy.

MLS, shortly after Miami’s announcement of the signing, revealed that it is investigating Inter Miami over allegations of tampering. In MLS, it’s not always as simple as international stars being able to sign with whichever club they please. There are complex league rules that teams have to go through in order to complete signings, and that is what’s at the center of the current drama.

Here’s a closer look at what Miami is accused of doing, why the club couldn’t just sign Casemiro outright without clearing any hurdles first and what could potentially happen as a result, if the club is found guilty:

Why is Inter Miami being accused of tampering? And what are MLS discovery rights?

Inter Miami is accused of tampering for allegedly circumventing the “discovery rights” in MLS. Basically, discovery rights to a player mark a team’s priority to negotiate. It is a rule from an archaic era in MLS, where it was designed so teams weren’t negotiating against each other for signings, thus helping keep costs down. MLS is a single-entity league, meaning all the contracts run through the league office. It was also seen as a way to potentially ensure a more equitable distribution of top talent, so the biggest names wouldn’t all be funneled to the same, more desirable markets.

Teams can put up to six players on their “discovery lists.” If Multiple teams make claims for the same players, they’re allocated to lists on a first-come, first-serve basis.

In this situation, the LA Galaxy had Casemiro’s discovery rights, meaning no other MLS team could make contact with the player while they were in negotiations. The league is investigating the LA Galaxy’s claim that Miami circumvented this rule.

Was Casemiro in talks with the LA Galaxy?

Yes, the Galaxy were in negotiations with Casemiro and felt confident about signing him — until the player expressed he wanted to join Inter Miami instead.

How do teams acquire discovery rights?

Teams can trade discovery rights, and that is often the case on signings, where another club will profit from the signing of a player whom they never actually rostered. It is a rule that is most difficult to explain to people who aren’t familiar with MLS — and, frankly, even to those who are — even in a league with many arcane regulations.

In terms of a recent example, in the summer of 2024, the LA Galaxy signed German international Marco Reus despite Charlotte FC having his discovery rights and making an offer that would have made him a designated player. Reus wound up signing with the Galaxy on a non-DP deal, meaning Charlotte offered more, but the player wanted to be in Los Angeles.

Charlotte held firm on his discovery rights, though, and the Galaxy had to pay $400,000 in general allocation money (GAM) to Charlotte in order for the chance to sign Reus, which is believed to be a record for such a transaction.

Typically, discovery rights are traded for a more standard $50,000 GAM fee, but if rights-holding teams make a genuine attempt to sign that player, a slightly larger fee can be negotiated (as was the case in the Reus signing, albeit on the extreme end). As long as a club is viewed to make a “genuine” offer, they are not required to relinquish the rights.

Casemiro’s trophy cabinet says it all 🫡 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Hd3BncTcvx

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) July 22, 2026

What is Miami paying the Galaxy, then?

There has been a resolution in the Casmeiro case on the compensation front, but it’s not yet known.

MLS and the Galaxy both announced the clubs “reached a settlement for the Discovery priority to sign Casemiro” but “the terms will be released upon conclusion of the tampering investigation.”

In plainer English: The Galaxy have been compensated, and Miami still may be sanctioned.

So Inter Miami is still signing Casemiro, right?

Yes. No matter what comes of the investigation, Casemiro is an Inter Miami player, the latest aging star to link up with Lionel Messi & Co. He’s signed through the MLS 2027 “sprint season” (the league will have a brief mini-season early in 2027 before flipping its calendar to align with the major European leagues and start the 2027-28 season next summer), with an option to extend through the summer of 2029.

The 34-year-old will improve the team immediately, filling a midfield void left by the retirement of Sergio Busquets this winter after the team won MLS Cup.

Miami remains one of the best teams in the league, led by World Cup finalists Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, Uruguayan veteran striker Luis Suárez and Mexican international forward Germán Berterame.

Has Inter Miami gotten in trouble with MLS before?

Not only has Miami long had the appearance from other fans (and club officials) that the club is allowed to flaunt MLS rules, but it has been severely punished for it.

In 2021, after an investigation that found the club skirted the salary cap rules, MLS suspended Miami’s chief operating officer and sporting director Paul McDonough for a year while fining the club $2 million, plus another fine of $250,000 for managing owner Jorge Mas. Inter was docked a total of $2,271,250 million in allocation money in 2022 and 2023. (McDonough was reinstated early by the league, on March 1, 2022.)

Miami had falsely reported the salary of French World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi, listing the player below the designated player threshold while paying him several million dollars more without reporting that compensation to the league.

MLS also found that Andrés Reyes, who was acquired before the start of the 2020 season on a year-long loan from Atlético Nacional, also should have been classified as a DP. The investigation also found that Inter Miami entered into undisclosed agreements that resulted in the underreporting of salary budget numbers for Leandro González Pírez, Nicolas Figal and Julian Carranza.

Just last summer, Messi and Jordi Alba were each suspended one game for skipping the league’s All-Star Game despite not having a documented injury. League regulations stipulate that absent an injury distinction, players must show up at the annual summer exhibition or suffer the consequence of missing a meaningful game.

Mas publicly called the league’s rule “draconian” and stood up for his two stars, who had been part of a nine-game-in-35-day whirlwind before the All-Star Game, thanks to the club’s participation in the FIFA Club World Cup earlier in the summer.

Inter Miami is the league’s showpiece club and most recognizable brand around the world. It has also shown to be the source of many headaches.

What will Miami’s punishment be?

That’s the biggest lingering question that will be answered in due time. There isn’t much precedent in this situation, and it’s too early to speculate whether — as long as Miami is found guilty of flouting the rules — it will just be a fine or if there will be sporting consequences, such as salary cap limitations. It’s also unclear whether Miami’s past infractions will be used against the club when it comes to determining the discipline.