After a lot of confusion caused by remarks made on Sunday’s Hong Kong-Inter Miami broadcast on MLS Season Pass, Apple has pulled the friendly between Inter Miami and Vissel Kobe off MLS Season Pass. Wednesday’s contest is the last on the Florida club’s trip to Asia, which has been full of issues and controversy. The lack of TV or streaming broadcast for the last game added to Inter Miami’s woes in its inaugural international tour of friendlies.

Major League Soccer now provided a reason as to why it is not broadcasting the friendly against the recent J-League winners. MLS, speaking to World Soccer Talk, pinged it on the promoter of the competition in Japan, saying the hosts have a responsibility to provide a world feed broadcast that other platforms can use to air the game across the globe. In Japan, the promoters did not meet the technical requirements for the distribution of the world feed.

“As with all international matches in Inter Miami CF’s preseason tour, production of the host feed of the match is the responsibility of the promoter,” Major League Soccer said. “Unfortunately, for the Vissel Kobe match, the local promoters are unable to provide a world feed for distribution in the timeframe required to meet our technical needs, which directly impacts our ability to produce coverage for MLS Season Pass or the MLS website.”

There are still plans for the last game of Inter Miami’s preseason tour to be available on MLS Season Pass. The game between Newell’s Old Boys and Inter Miami at DRV PNK Stadium is still on MLS Season Pass.

Inter Miami still playing Vissel Kobe, but not on MLS Season Pass

It is important to know that this game is still happening. Initially, there were rumors that Inter Miami canceled its entire Asia tour following Messi’s absence in Hong Kong. In a move similar to Al-Nassr backing out of a China tour because of an injury to Cristiano Ronaldo, rumors swirled that Inter Miami would prematurely return to the United States. That is not the case. Inter Miami is currently in Japan, and Messi has even spoken to reporters about his status for the game.

While there are no guarantees the Argentine plays, Messi reaffirmed his desire to play in the match. The club captain spoke to the media on Tuesday morning in Japan. He admitted that it is a struggle to play so many games with how much traveling Inter Miami is doing. Regardless, he remains optimistic for Wednesday’s contest.

“The truth is that I feel very good compared to a few days ago,” Messi told reporters. “And depending on how that [training] goes. And if I’m honest, I still don’t know if I will be able to or not. But I feel much better, and I really want to be able to do it.”

Hectic season just around the corner for Inter Miami

Inter Miami is working carefully with how it uses Messi in games that carry no consequence. The Florida club has a major season ahead of it for both sporting and commercial reasons. Having Messi fit will be necessary for both as Inter Miami looks to build on its growth from the 2023 campaign. The likelihood of Messi missing games due to rest or slight knocks is likely.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.