{"id":277595,"date":"2026-05-20T03:43:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T03:43:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/277595\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T03:43:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T03:43:22","slug":"update-on-inter-miami-dispute-with-la-familia-supporters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/277595\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on Inter Miami dispute with La Familia supporters"},"content":{"rendered":"

It appears Inter Miami\u2019s family spat might be resolved before Sunday\u2019s home game against the Philadelphia Union.<\/p>\n

Club leadership plans to meet on Wednesday with La Familia, the diehard supporters\u2019 group that says it feels unappreciated by the players this season, according to club sources and multiple members of the fan group.<\/p>\n

La Familia staged an 85-minute silent protest during Sunday\u2019s 2-0 win against the Portland Timbers and then belted out a chant for the final five minutes that did not sit well with Lionel Messi and some of his teammates.<\/p>\n

Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suarez applauded the East, South and West sides of the stadium after Sunday\u2019s game, but not the North stands, where La Familia is based. Other players, especially the younger players and newcomers, did head over toward La Familia and give them waves and claps.<\/p>\n

La Familia issued a statement on Monday, explaining the protest. It read:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 85 minutes, La Familia remained silent. No drums. No flags. No banners. No chants. Not because we stopped supporting this club. But because many supporters who give their all and their ideas to create this often-appreciated atmosphere have increasingly felt invisible to the people on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was also more detail about the chant the group sang in Spanish the final five minutes of the game. The translation of the chant is: \u201cPlayers, respect your supporters, say hello to your people, who never ask for things.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the chant was sung to the tune of the familiar and derogatory Argentine \u201cJugadores\u201d (Players) chant used to demand more effort and courage from players when they are underperforming. Messi stood in the midfield looking equally confused and irritated with his hands on his hips, looking over at the North stands, where La Familia was chanting.<\/p>\n

\"Inter Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10), left, looks towards the Northside of stadium where Inter Miami fans (La Familia) chant their displeasure with the players over the lack of engagement between players and fans as Inter Miami wins its first home game against the Portland Timbers at the Nu Stadium on Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Miami, Florida. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

La Familia members say it was not their intent to affront the players, but rather to plead for recognition for their dedication to the team. They said other than Noah Allen, none of the players acknowledged them with waves or applause after the first four games at Nu Stadium.<\/p>\n

It is customary in soccer culture for players to recognize their most ardent supporters, who sit together in one section of the stadium. Inter Miami did not win any of its first four games at the newly constructed stadium, settling for three ties, and then suffering an embarrassing collapse after leading 3-0 in an eventual 4-3 loss to rival Orlando City.<\/p>\n

Messi left the field in a hurry after those games, heading straight to the tunnel, and most other players followed suit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was not a chant to insult any of the players or staff,\u201d La Familia explained in its statement. \u201cIt was supporters asking for the smallest sign of acknowledgement from the people they spend their lives supporting\u2026 We have seen this club grow, lift trophies, and create unforgettable moments together\u2026 As supporters, we ask for one simple thing: that in victory and defeat, the passion and love in the stands is acknowledged by those who wear the shirt on the pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

The social media reaction to the protest was mixed. Some fans empathized with La Familia, pointing out their unbridled passion for the club that began long before Messi arrived in the summer of 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe supporters are just as much a part of the game as the players, whether you believe that or not,\u201d one person posted on Instagram. \u201cIt\u2019s not about not respecting them, I understand they put everything into the game, just as the band members don\u2019t even stop to take a sip of water because they want to make sure the players feel supported the entire time. All the group was asking for was a simple gesture of gratitude. Nothing more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another fan wrote: \u201cMy respect and appreciation to you and the entire group. You all have been there from the very beginning when there was a search for stadium locations and even the first academy games. I will never forget my son and his teammates\u2019 faces when they were greeted by chanting and pink smoke. You deserve to be greeted every single game. You were there before any of the \u201cBIG\u201d signings and through it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the group faced widespread backlash, as well, particularly the choice of melody for the chant.<\/p>\n

Among the comments on social media:<\/p>\n

\u201cCrybabies. The players owe them nothing! It\u2019s a football match, not a meet and greet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have an idea: have those ungrateful whiners give away their tickets to people that would love to just be there!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMessi heard another type of chant and was annoyed with them. They changed the lyrics of a popular Argentine diss chant. They should have chosen another melody to go with their message.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey picked the wrong song to break their silence with. The silent protest was very effective. Instead of sticking the landing with their protest, they tried to be cute by breaking their silence with a chant that sounds like a much more offensive one that Messi has heard before and they insulted Messi, DePaul and Co., as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up. Buy concessions, buy jerseys, buy your season tickets and support your superstars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBan those entitled clowns\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 12:53 PM.<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Miami Herald<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Michelle Kaufman<\/a><\/p>\n

Miami Herald<\/p>\n

Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman has covered 14 Olympics, six World Cups, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, NCAA Basketball Tournaments, NBA Playoffs, Super Bowls and has been the soccer writer and University of Miami basketball beat writer for 25 years. She was born in Frederick, Md., and grew up in Miami.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It appears Inter Miami\u2019s family spat might be resolved before Sunday\u2019s home game against the Philadelphia Union. Club…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":277596,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-277595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=277595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/277596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=277595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=277595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=277595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}