Former Manchester United midfielder Casemiro made his MLS debut for Inter Miami in a 1-0 victory at FC Montreal
Casemiro made his debut for Inter Miami overnight as they beat Montreal 1-0 in the MLS. However, the former Manchester United star’s first game was overshadowed by a serious injury to his new teammate German Berterame.
The Brazil international announced his intention to leave United at the start of the year, with his contract due to expire in the summer. Despite hopes from sections of the fanbase that Casemiro would reverse his decision, the 34-year-old made his final appearance for the Reds against Nottingham Forest in May.
At the end of the season, Casemiro jetted off to America for the World Cup. His tournament would end at the round of 16 as Brazil lost 2-1 to Norway. Following a short break, the midfielder agreed to join the David Beckham-owned club on a one-year deal this week, with an option to extend his stay until 2029. Shortly after the transfer was announced, the MLS confirmed they were investigating the move.
The investigation centres around the ‘discovery rights’ of Casemiro. MLS clubs are allowed to name up to five players on their ‘discovery list’. If a player on their list then moves to another MLS team, the buying club must agree a fee to obtain the ‘discovery rights’.
LA Galaxy held the ‘discovery rights’ for Casemiro and Inter Miami confirmed they had reached an agreement to obtain them. However, the MLS are investigating ‘tampering allegations’ against The Herons.
“The league is gathering all relevant information and will refrain from further comment until the review is complete,” the MLS added.
“While Inter Miami CF and the LA Galaxy have reached a settlement for the discovery priority [first rights] to sign Casemiro, the terms will be released upon conclusion of the tampering investigation.” In the meantime, Casemiro was able to make his debut for his new club overnight.
The midfielder played the full 90 minutes as Miami ran out 1-0 winners. Former Liverpool and Barcelona striker Luis Suarez scored the winner from the penalty spot after Berterame collided with Montreal defender Efrain Morales.
The game was halted for 11 minutes as Berterame received treatment and an ambulance drove onto the pitch to take the striker to hospital. After the match, Inter Miami’s interim head coach Guillermo Hoyos said: “Thank God he’s [Berterame] recovering.
“He’s okay and conscious. His family has been informed of everything. We didn’t know what to do. It was a very desperate situation.”
Casemiro is expected to make his home debut for Inter Miami next weekend against Columbus.
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