Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas has expressed his dissatisfaction with Major League Soccer‘s Discovery List rule, revealing that he has been advocating for changes to this system for over two years.
According to MLS regulations, teams can place up to five players on their discovery list at any given time. A player on this list grants that club the exclusive opportunity to initiate negotiations without interference from other MLS teams.
“For more than two years, I have been working to change these rules. I believe the discovery process does not benefit any MLS clubs, as it leads to negotiations over players we know little about. We’ll have to wait and see if that rule changes. Having a non-public list of players in this league is something we should move away from,” Mas stated during Casemiro’s introductory press conference.
These remarks follow the league’s announcement of a review into a tampering accusation involving Inter Miami and Brazilian midfielder Casemiro. The LA Galaxy currently holds discovery rights over Casemiro, obliging Inter Miami to negotiate with the Galaxy before engaging with the player.
“The league is currently gathering all pertinent information and will refrain from further comments until the review is concluded,” MLS stated.
Sources confirmed to ESPN that the LA Galaxy filed a tampering complaint against Inter Miami regarding unauthorized contact with Casemiro before securing the player’s Discovery Priority. Although Inter Miami and the Galaxy have reached an agreement concerning Casemiro’s Discovery Priority, the league’s review of the claim will persist. Mas has denied any violation of league regulations.
“The discovery rule states that Casemiro was included on the LA Galaxy’s list. I don’t believe the implications of the Discovery List have been accurately reported,” Mas asserted.
“In this instance, the executives at Inter Miami, particularly Alberto Marrero, honored the MLS guidelines related to the Discovery List. We did not engage in discussions until we settled matters with the LA Galaxy. We acted in accordance with the rules and did not initiate negotiations with Casemiro or his representatives without first consulting the Galaxy and the league until we received approval,” he explained.
“What’s crucial to understand is that the discovery list is confidential. Our sports department has no knowledge of the players on other teams’ lists, and those players are unaware of being on these lists,” he added.
“If the Galaxy made a legitimate offer, they retained the rights to Casemiro. In that situation, clubs would negotiate, with the league involved… Instead, there’s an accusation that we breached the rules while negotiating with the Galaxy. We did not engage in any tampering whatsoever,” he clarified.
Casemiro has previously addressed the issue, stating his preference for joining Inter Miami and communicating that to the Galaxy directly.
“I want to clarify my position on this situation,” Casemiro stated. “I spoke with the Galaxy some time ago and made it clear that my intention was to join Miami. I love this city. My family and I visit often during our days off—we know this place well. When I spoke to the Galaxy, I clearly expressed my desire to join Inter Miami due to the project, the vision, and, of course, to play alongside the greatest player of all time.”