Inter Miami CF coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino defended the decision to rest Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets for Saturday's match against the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place, explaining that the coaching staff must prioritize the player welfare amid fan frustration.
“Yesterday we trained. When we finished, I spoke with the coaching staff and I spoke with the players, and at that moment we decided that they would not be part of the team,” Martino told reporters on Friday.
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“We understand people's frustration, especially for wanting to see these players, but it is our job as a coaching staff to make these decisions that are uncomfortable.
“We understand what these players cause in the league and in other markets, but we have to take these measures that are sometimes unpleasant for people. But they are beneficial for the players,” said the coach.
“We cannot announce 20 days in advance what our movements will be. We analyze the situation on Thursday because we have three games in a week, but sometimes unfortunate things happen that do not allow players to participate in a certain game.” “.
The Vancouver Whitecaps broke the news to fans in a statement on Thursday, warning them not to expect Miami stars Messi, Suarez and Busquets to take part in the match at BC Place.
“Although we have not received an official update on the availability of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets for this weekend, we understand that they will not be making this trip. Unfortunately, we have no control over who plays for our opponent and it was important for us to communicate this. to our fans as soon as possible,” said Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster.
The Whitecaps are expecting a record crowd in the MLS era on Saturday, with more than 50,000 expected to attend the game. The hosts offered a 50% discount on food and drinks at the stadium to combat frustration, but fans continued to express concerns and resentment after paying record prices for tickets.
MLS responded in a statement Friday, saying it “recognizes fans' disappointment when featured players are not available for games.”
“Each MLS club makes its own competitive and personnel decisions based on what it believes is best for the club and for each player,” he added. “The league will continue to review measures on how clubs report player availability.”
Martino reiterated that not much more can be done from Inter Miami's perspective on this situation given the way Major League Soccer constructed the schedule, arguing that the onus is on Vancouver to make sure fans are appeased.
“In this case, immediately after Vancouver we have two home games,” he said. “In evaluating that, we felt it was prudent for all three not to participate in this game. “They continued to train and trained this morning and will do so again on Saturday to be prepared for Wednesday's game.
“In the case of Busquets, it should be noted that he is the player who has the most minutes this season. We needed to find a point for him to stop, or for him to have a rest. We thought it was prudent for this game.
“It is difficult to make a decision like this and announce it in advance and that is why we reach last-minute situations. But in any case I think it is the opponent's responsibility to have a plan B, because if, for example, Leo does not travel, they have to Responding to your audience, it is not our responsibility when we play at home and Leo we did not announce it 20 days before.
“Maybe I won't play because of an injury,” he said. “When we went to Orlando we didn't announce it in advance either. It's the hosts who have to make decisions if these players don't travel.”
Inter Miami will return to South Florida after facing the Whitecaps to host Atlanta United on Wednesday and St. Louis City on Saturday. For the second time this month, Miami will play three games in a seven-day period.
